Potter and Black: The Deathly Hallows
by ArabellaBlack25
Summary: Harry, Ron, Hermione and Arabella aren't going back to Hogwarts. They're now on a mission to destroy Voldemort's Horcruxes and get ready for the final battle.
1. The Parting Glass

**disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or the song sang in the story. **

**Hello! How you guys have all finished your exams (if you had any). I still have two more to do, but they're not that bad. I've been working on this chapter for a while and just finished it, so I hope you all really like it! **

**But first: Holy Cheesecakes! Seventh book! I really didn't think it would come this far. After this book is done, I'm going to be moving on to the last, and final book of the 'Potter and Black' series and... wow! I can't believe this! I'm in actual awe that I've come this far. Thank you all for just reading this book. I'm just shocked that you all like it. **

**Just a small heads up, this chapter might be a little descriptive with certain things that you might or might not like. You'll probably find out as you go along, so... yeah...**

**Hope you like it! **

The Parting Glass

Arabella looked around her room. It was messy, that was for certain. Her clothes were all scattered all over the bed and the floor while her blue bridesmaids dress was hung against the closet.

Remus had announced that he and Nymph were getting married in a couple days' time and Nymph wanted Arabella to be a bridesmaid, though it was a small wedding. It was going to be held at the Tonks' with the Weasleys, Mad-Eye, and Kingsley Shacklebolt as guests, if they were able to come. It was going to be quick and small, but they both seemed to want it.

But the thought of a wedding didn't shock her. The new protection in her house didn't shock her, though it almost made her crap her pants. She doubts she could find anything in the world that can shock her anymore.

Both Mad-Eye and Remus knew Arabella, Harry, Ron and Hermione were going on some mission for Dumbledore. They asked questions, a lot of questions, but Arabella barely told them anything. She just told them that she, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were doing something based on Dumbledore's orders. Once the two of them had heard it was on Dumbledore's orders, they didn't ask that many questions.

Arabella glances at her watch, the one that used to belong to Kassandra, but was given by Remus. It was almost six in the afternoon and Mad-Eye was cutting it close. He said that she should get ready by then because he wanted to show her something. She had no idea what it was, but just went with it. It was Mad-Eye, it's bound to be something good.

_'Severus Snape_?'

Arabella wanted to gag at the name and the effects of the protective spell.

'I did not kill you, Dumbledore!'

She waited a couple seconds before opening the door and drew out her wand. She walked with confidence downstairs, making sure to keep her wand out in front of her, just in case. In the entrance of the house stood the large figure of Mad-Eye with his wooden leg and walking stick.

'Verify yourself,' Arabella said, pointing her wand directly at his face. He had his wand out, but didn't point it at her.

'Alastor Gleeson Moody,' he said with a small smirk, as though happy that Arabella was using her head. 'I poured beer on top of you a year ago from today and showed you the room that contained the names of the people that sacrificed their lives for the First Wizarding War and the one against Grindelwald.'

Arabella put her wand down tentatively, saying, 'Just checking.'

'That's good,' said Mad-Eye, nodding. 'Now, go get changed. Wear something comfortable. I'm going to show you something you need to know.'

Arabella didn't argue when she went upstairs. She quickly changed into some sweatpants and grabbed two other things as well. She grabbed her jacket that used to belong to Sirius and the knife Sirius got her for Christmas. She started carrying the knife around wherever she went. Arabella and Nymph were trying out dresses over at her house and altering them, and Arabella had the knife strapped to her thighs the whole time.

Once she made sure she got everything, she made her way downstairs where Mad-Eye was waiting for her next to the door.

'Hold on to my arm,' he said as he opened the door and they stepped outside of the house.

Arabella grabbed his left arm and was immediately Apparated.

When she opened her eyes, they were standing just a couple feet away from Mad-Eye's house. It was a small little house that was just necessary for one person. The curtains were drawn and the whole house looked dark. Just behind the house was a forest that ran for miles and miles. She's never been inside the forest, and only visited Mad-Eye's house once in her life.

'Come around here,' Mad-Eye said gruffly, elbowing her to move.

She hastily followed after him. He took her around back and walked closer to the forest. She stopped just in front of the tree shadows while Mad-Eye continued to walk forward and took something out from a nearby scrub. It was a cage and inside was two white rabbits.

'I know you, Potter, Weasley and Granger are going on a mission for Dumbledore and that you won't tell me anything else,' he said, holding the cage and turning to face her. 'But I'm going to teach you something you need to learn just before you go for that mission. You need to learn how to survive.'

'What are you talking about?' Arabella asked.

She didn't get a verbal response from him. Instead, he set the cage down and opened the little door. The two white rabbits immediately bounded from the cage and ran towards the woods as fast as they're legs could go.

Arabella still didn't understand what was going on, but it immediately clicked when Mad-Eye turned to her with a grim smile.

'No,' Arabella said definitely, shaking her head. 'No, no, nope, not going to happen, no.'

'Yes,' snapped Mad-Eye, reaching out and grabbing her by the collars of her shirt and nearly shaking her. 'You are going to change into your Animagus form and catch those rabbits.'

'No,' Arabella said loudly. 'I'm not going to hunt down rabbits. I'm inhuman and horrible and cruel to those rabbits.'

'No, you want to know what's cruel?' asked Mad-Eye. 'You-Know-Who coming back from the dead and Death Eaters flying about and Severus Snape murdering Dumbledore. Your father dying, your mother dying, my friends dying, you getting tortured while all those sick bastards are still running about. _That's_ cruel. _That's_ horrible. _That's_ inhuman. What I'm going to show you right now is going to help you survive. I doubt any of you are going to go to five start restaurants for dinner. You need to know how to hunt to survive. I don't want to read a newspaper article saying that Potter died because he starved to death. Or you for that matter.'

Arabella's eyes flickered towards the woods, where there was a faint sound of rustling leaves. The bunnies were still running away from them.

'I don't like it,' she said in a hushed voice.

'We all have to do things we don't like,' said Mad-Eye in a gruff voice. 'But those things are necessary.'

Arabella nodded, agreeing with him. She took off her jacket and placed in on the ground before closing her eyes for a moment and swiftly turning into her Animagus form, a coyote. Though she did love her animal form, she doubt she was going to enjoy what she was about to do.

Alala was the name Remus, Sirius and Arabella came up with during the summer just before her fifth year. A coyote with dark brown furs mixed with light brown covering her body. She stood guard on her canine legs and her ears shot up, listening. Her hearing increased as she could hear things from miles away.

There was a lot more rustling towards the right as four little legs kept running in rapid speed. Alala sniffed the air once and bounded towards the forest, ready to catch some rabbits.

The first catch was the easier one. It was a small little thing that tried to hide behind a bush, but Alala sniffed it out and caught it within five minutes.

The second was harder, but the animalistic part of Arabella, Alala, enjoyed the hunt. The rabbit was the bigger one of the two and it was tricky. Fast little thing that was. It used its speed and tried to hide in different areas of the forest to avoid Alala. As it tried to jump over a fallen down tree, Alala sunk her teeth into him.

Moody looked satisfied when Alala brought the dead rabbits back to him. He was sitting next to a built campfire with two steel rods next to it and gave her a bottle of water. She washed the stench from her mouth before turning back into her human form. Arabella leaned against a tree as she took in deep breaths and looked at Moody inspecting the rabbits.

'You got this one, didn't yea?' said Moody, looking at the tricky rabbit. 'Really sunk your teeth in there.'

'Yeah,' mumbled Arabella.

There were two big wooden log chairs next to the campfire; one had her jacket on it. Arabella took her seat and waited to see what Moody was going to do.

'Here, you take this one,' said Moody. He tossed over the smaller rabbit to her and took out his knife from the inside of his boots. Arabella did the same, taking out Sirius's knife from her jacket.

'Now, watch closely,' warned Moody, pointing the knife at her. 'We only have these two and it's got to be right, got it?'

Arabella gave a small nod and turned the head of her rabbit the other way.

'Now, cut a ring around each leg of the rabbit, just above the joint. Only cut enough to get past the hide. Don't cut deeply into the skin, it's unnecessary.'

He did as he said and brought the rabbit closer to Arabella, making her look at the bloody rabbit's legs. There was blood on his hands and on the knife. He washed it off with the water that was left in Arabella's bottle.

'Then, on each leg, make a single slice going up from the ring to the backside of the animal. This will make skinning easier in the end.'

There was less blood now.

'Now, you have to start pulling away some of the skin, working from the ring cut at the foot joint down to the backside. The skin should come off easily.'

He started to pull away the skin from the legs and stopped at the tail.

'Cut your way through the bone of the tail. Make sure not to puncture the bladder. The tailbone is easy to locate. Once you do that, pull the skin from the body with both of your hands. It should peel off like a banana.'

Moody discarded the tailbone, rolled up his sleeves and did as he said, stopping at the arms.

'The tricky part's here. You've got to work your fingers into the sleeve of the skins and really dig in there. This part might take a while for you.'

It didn't take him that long to pull the skin from the arms. He stopped at the head.

'Cut the head from the spine. The skin should separate from the remaining meat then.'

He tossed the head to the side, as though it wasn't important.

'Then you break the bones at the arm and leg joints with your hands. Then cut the skin at the joints using your knife.'

He tossed the skin to where the head was.

'And then clean your rabbit.'

He took out his bottled water and cleaned the rabbit, washing off some of the fur, before presenting it to Arabella in both his hands.

She just stared at him in a stony expression, blinking a couple times.

'You want me to do that?'

'Yes,' said Moody, taking a steel rod and putting his rabbit through it from the head through to the tail and placing it above the fire.

'Remember, ring, slice, pull, tail, pull, arm, head, joints, wash,' he said, ticking off each part with his fingers.

'I don't want to bloody well remember that,' snapped Arabella, but turned to her rabbit nonetheless.

She flicked the switch on the knife and made rings around each leg of the rabbit, just above the joint, and then made a single slice going from the ring to the backside of the animal. Once that was done, Arabella started to pull the skin of from the ring, but found that to be a little difficult. With the help from her knife, the skin started to pull off a bit easier. She stopped just above the tailbone and cut it off, before pushing up her sleeves and taking the skin off the body. That was relatively easier to do with both hands. The arms were tricky. She dug her fingers into the flesh and used her knife as well to help remove the skin and was successful after a long time. Arabella continued to take off the skin and stopped just above the base of the skull and cut it from the spine. Once that was done, she broke the bones at the arm and leg joints and took off the skin from them with her knife. She took Moody's offered water bottle and washed the rabbit before taking a metal rod and sticking the rabbit through it, placing it next to the fire.

'That was good for a first time,' Moody commented.

Arabella said nothing as she stared into the fireplace. She just skinned an animal without hesitation and she didn't throw up her stomach when she did it. Sure, the smell was horrible, but she was alright.

'While we wait for our dinner, there's something else I need to show you,' Mad-Eye said, cleaning his knife with a cloth.

'What is it now?' groaned Arabella.

Moody took out some sort of small kit from his jacket and laid everything out in front of them.

'Sewing needle, disinfectant liquid, cloth, lighter, probes and cleaning tools, and bandage,' he said, pointing to each instrument in the kit.

'I don't understand –'

Without warning, Mad-Eye took his knife and made a cut on Arabella's lower thigh, a bit closer to the joint. She screamed, pushed him away, took out her wand from her pocket and pointed it at his face.

'What the hell is wrong with you?!' Arabella roared into the dead night as she placed her free hand on the burning cut. 'Are you out of your fucking mind?!'

Mad-Eye regained composure and straightened up, unfazed by the wand pointed at his face. He took one long hard look at her before saying, 'Do you know how I produce the best Aurors? I trained your mother, I trained your father, I trained Potter, the two Longbottoms, and the Prewett twins. They're all fine Aurors, best of the best. Do you why that it?'

'What does this have to do with you slicing my leg open?!' shouted Arabella.

'They're the best because I push them to be,' said Mad-Eye, irritated. 'I pushed them to the limit; I pushed them to be the best. I demanded nothing more than excellence and that's what I got. My methods might be a bit unconventional, but this is not a goody-two shoes little world we're living in. We have to be prepared for everything. Constant Vigilance! If you want to be the best, you have to push yourself to the point where you know you can do no more. Now, you may be able to heal that wound with a flick of your wand, but magic has its limits and we all know that. I'm going to show you how to clean that wound and stitch it up. Come on.'

Arabella did move from her spot for a while. She continued to glare at Mad-Eye for a few moments before moving an inch closer and a couple more after that. She wanted the cut to stop burning. Mad-Eye wanted her to be the best.

'Good,' said Mad-Eye in a gruff voice. 'Now, let's see the cut.'

Arabella lifted her hand from her leg. The right leg of her sweatpants was drenched in blood around the wound. She tried to move her leg to a comfortable position, but there were none.

'Not that bad of a cut,' Mad-Eye muttered to himself, seemingly impressed with his own work. 'Some blood, but not enough to restrict the site. Let's begin. Now, take the cloth and the disinfectant liquid. Put the liquid on the cloth and apply it to the wound. Carefully.'

Arabella did as she was told, and tried her hardest not to wince at the sting of the added pressure. She took a deep breath before continuing on.

'Good, good. Now check to make sure that there aren't any dirt or anything in your wound or around it.'

Arabella looked at the cut closely and saw some chipped wooden pieces soaked in blood close to the wound.

'Yeah, there're some,' she said quietly.

'Take this and take them out, carefully.'

He gave her a pair of tweezers and Arabella carefully took out the small particles of dirt and wood near her burning cut. This took a long time as Mad-Eye started to eat his rabbit while Arabella kept cleaning the wound.

'Done? 'Bout time. Now we start the stitching. Put the thread through the needle; make sure it's on and that it won't fall off. Light the end of the needle, make sure it's hot.'

Once Arabella secured the thread, she flicked the lighter and made sure it was hot enough.

'Good, now, listen carefully to everything I'm saying. Start with the edge of the wound to your face and sew away from yourself. Start to the left of the wound with an initial holding stitch. Once you've got that, then go back to the left and repeat. Make sure you keep as close to the edge as possible without releasing the skin through a tear.'

Arabella hissed when the burning needle went through her skin and tried to blink back some tears before continuing on in a slow pace. She never really noticed how long the cut was until she stitched it up. It ran from the middle to her thighs to the edge of her joints. As she continued to stitch, the burning feeling was replaced with a numbing one. And when she was finished, there was a zigzag on top of the wound.

'Good. Now, clean up the rest of the excess blood and wrap the cut with the bandages.'

Arabella took the cloth again and wiped the dried up blood and carefully wrapped her leg multiple times, securing her leg. Once she was done, she leaned against her chair, still sitting on the ground, while gazing into the fire.

'Now, was that so hard?' Moody asked with a smug smile.

Arabella shot him a look. 'You're a pain in the ass and I hope you lose your other eye.'

There was silence following her statement.

'Fair enough,' said Mad-Eye, shrugging. 'I did cut your leg without warning.'

'Bloody well could have told me what you were about to do,' said Arabella harshly, before turning back to the fire.

Mad-Eye looked at her for a moment before standing up and walking to his house. He opened the back door and grabbed something quickly before walking back to where Arabella was sitting. In his right hand were two mugs and in the other was a tall glass of firewhisky. He sat back on his wooden chair, poured himself a glass and poured Arabella one.

'Cheers,' Moody said in a gruff voice, clunking his mug with Arabella's.

'Cheers,' Arabella mumbled, drowning the drink in one gulp. It burned her throat, but the sensation was very familiar.

'You okay there kid?' Mad-Eye asked, after finishing his drink. 'You've been quiet today. I thought you were going to put up more of a fight with me and be a pain, as usual.'

'Yeah, I'm fine,' said Arabella, holding her mug up as he refilled it.

They sat in silence for a while as they gazed into the fire that kept them warm. There were no other movements besides the crackling of the fire. Arabella ate her rabbit and kept checking her wound, but it didn't hurt that much sitting down.

'Here,' said Mad-Eye, after a while. He packed up his stitching kit, placed his knife inside and handed it to Arabella. 'Take it. It'll help you on your mission with Potter and the other two. Take it – I don't need it anymore.'

Arabella took the kit, giving him a tight smile. 'Thanks.'

He nodded and they both drank another glass of firewhisky, staring into the fire as they did so.

'We should sing,' Arabella said quietly after a while. 'We should sing some sort of campfire some or some drinking song. It's the perfect setting. Two people sitting around a fire and drinking. We should sing The Parting Glass.'

Arabella doesn't know exactly when the next time she'll see Mad-Eye after the mission begins. In a way, she'll miss him. She's known him since she was a toddler. He saved her life. Without Alastor Moody, Arabella Black would be dead. So, with The Parting Glass, this will be their farewell for now.

Mad-Eye looked as her as though she grew another head from her neck. 'I'm not singing. You can sing all you want, but I'm not singing. Drinking song or not.'

'Fine, then,' said Arabella, mock offended. 'I'll sing by myself.'

She finished her rabbit first and threw the bones to where the skins of the rabbit were. She then poured another glass for herself and took a deep breath.

'_Of all the money that e'er I had, I've spent it in good company.'_

Arabella nudge him, but he ignored her.

_'And all the harm that e'er I've done, alas it was to none but me. And all I've done for what of wit, to memory now I can't recall.'_

She clunk her mug with Mad-Eye's.

'_So fill to me the parting glass, good night and joy be with you all.'_

Arabella stared determinedly at Moody, who closed his eyes, took a deep breath and a big cup of firewhisky, before saying, not singing, never singing, 'Of all the comrades that e'er I had, they are sorry for my going away.'

_'And all the sweethearts that e'er I had, they would wish me one more day to stay,' _sung Arabella with a smirk.

'But since it falls unto my lot, that I should rise and you should not, I'll… gently rise,' he took another agonizing, deep breath, 'and I'll softly call, good night and _joy _be with you all.'

'_A man may drink and not be drunk.'_

'A man may fight and not be slain. A man may court a pretty girl, and perhaps be welcomed back again,' there was a small smile on Mad-Eye's face. 'But since it has so ought to be, by a time to rise and a time to fall. Come fill to me the parting glass. Good night and hoy be with you all.'

'_Good night and joy be with you all.'_

There was a small silence as Mad-Eye raised his mug towards the sky before drowning the contents. Arabella glanced up at the sky. He was probably raising a glass for Isaak Anastas, her grandfather and Moody's friend.

'I used to sing that song with Isaak,' he said quietly, pouring another glass for himself. 'I sang that to Kassandra once, when she was wailing her head off once. It was the only thing I did that shut her up.'

Arabella nodded, her fingers circling the rim of the mug.

'I trained with Isaak and I trained Kassandra and I trained you,' Mad-Eye said, chuckling. 'At least, I did for a day. Hopefully you don't lose your head in the next couple months. I'll seriously come and kill you myself if you do.'

Arabella didn't bother correcting Moody's logic, but nodded again with a smile.

'Alright then, let's get you back.'

He held out his hand for Arabella to take. She put on her jacket, took her knife and the kit before limping her way towards the front of the house.

Mad-Eye looked ahead towards the sky with a frown on his face as Arabella grabbed hold of his arm.

'Zip your jacket up. There's a storm coming.'

******Thank you for reading! Tell me what you think! **

**With the whole skinning the rabbit and stitching up her wounds, I used a couple websites to make sure it was alright and easy enough to follow. I hope they're all right. So if you're a expert in rabbit skinning or wound stitching, let's just go with it... **

**A****nd I know Mad-Eye saying the lyrics to 'The Parting Glass' is a little out of character, but I hope I explained a little of it and if not, it would be really explained in CAT, with his friendship with Isaak and Hekabe, mostly Isaak. **


	2. Wedding of Remus and Nymphadora

**disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, just Arabella. Finally finished exams, so updates should be coming in pretty fast. At least a couple days in between, unless I go out of country or something like that. **

**And just one question. I was talking to my mom the other day about this story and she asked me what would have happened if Kassandra was still alive and I just started thinking about that. **

**I wrote down a couple ideas for that and I was wondering if you guys would like to see a short AU of this AU where Kassandra lived. Or if you want to see another one, like a gender switch for Arabella and Harry. Tell me what you think! **

**Anyways, hope you like this chapter! **

Wedding of Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks

Arabella was standing in the guest room of Andromeda and Ted Tonks' home, getting ready for a wedding. She smoothened out the front of her blue dress, trying to at least smile at herself. The dress itself was quite simple. It was a dark blue colour, but not navy, and had a thin gold strap around the middle as a belt and long sleeves. Her shoes were a dark blue as well.

She guessed that it never really hit her that Remus and Nymph were getting married. It just seemed to foreign for Arabella about getting married when there is a war going on. Bill and Fleur were still going ahead with their in a couple weeks' time.

The door of the guest room opened quietly and Andromeda Tonks walked in. She wore a simple dark purple dress with her light brown hair put into a bun. She smiled softly at Arabella.

'Well, the colour suits you,' said Andromeda, flattening the wrinkles at the front. 'Do you want me to do your hair?'

'No, it's okay,' said Arabella. Her dark brown hair was loose, though a bit tangled.

'Well, at least let me comb it,' said Andy, looking a little appalled at her hair. 'It's been such a long time since I've combed your hair.'

Grimacing, Arabella sat down quietly on the chair in front of the dressing table as Andy picked up the brush and began. They stayed like that in silence as Andromeda let the brush weed out knots while Arabella tried not to wince from pain.

'I can't believe how much you've grown,' said Andy softly. 'I missed this. It's been such a long time…'

'I know,' said Arabella. The pain started to decrease.

Andromeda stopped combing Arabella's hair and set the brush onto of the table. Arabella stood up and looked at her aunt. She looked similar to Bellatrix Lestrange, but when you look closer, they were completely different. She had a lighter shade of brown hair and softer eyes.

Andromeda cupped Arabella's cheek softly before kissing the other and hugging her tightly. She sniffled and her arms shook. Arabella patted her back and held her tightly.

'I just can't believe she's getting married,' whispered Andromeda. 'She's so young, and…'

'And what?' asked Arabella, her arms stiffened. If it had something to do with Remus, Arabella was going to blow a casket.

'There's a war going on,' said Andromeda, letting go of Arabella and taking a seat on the bed. She didn't dare cry, though tears wheeled up in her eyes.

'They love each other,' said Arabella, shrugging.

Andromeda let out a shaky laugh. 'Love,' she said softly with a smile. 'I suppose they are, aren't they? I remember being that that.'

'What was it like?' Arabella asked, smiling at her.

'Oh, horrible,' Andy said with a smile. 'You think you have your whole life figured out, but then this stupid person walks into your life, he smiles, you smile and all of a sudden, your life isn't yours anymore.'

Arabella snorted. 'Yeah, sounds horrible.'

They looked at each other for a moment before laughing.

'What about you?' Andromeda asked. 'You in love with that Potter boy?'

'Yeah,' said Arabella sighing. 'It is horrible.'

'Oh, I doubt that,' Andy rolled her eyes.

'For me it is,' said Arabella. 'For years, it was just me, Remus, Mad-Eye, and you guys, and I was okay with it. Remember that time I tried to make friends with the neighbour boy?'

'Yeah, you were what? Five? Six?'

'I was six,' said Arabella nodding. 'His name was… I think it was Neil, something around that. I don't remember much about him, but… we played in the park for weeks and I liked him and he liked me, you know. Said that I was his best friend. I even kissed him on the cheek. You know how it is when you're young. Kissing on the cheek was the biggest of all deals. But his mother didn't like that. She didn't like me at all. Remus never understood why she was so prejudice against a six year old. It made no sense to him. I knew why. Couple weeks before my seventh birthday, she took Neil and moved away. I don't know where, they just… left.

'Then I met Nikola,' said Arabella, shaking her head. 'Nikola Stefanov, and he was pretty darn good looking too. He had glossy black hair with these curls that just sort of fell on his face in a very graceful way. And he had these dark eyes – I couldn't tell whether or not they were brown or black – you could just get sucked into them. And he was _tall, _and I'm talking tall, tall.'

'He sounds handsome,' said Andromeda, smiling at her. There was a knock on the door and Nymph walked inside wearing her undergarments with her white dress in her hands. She was going in her natural form today with short light brown hair and dark grey eyes.

'I hope you're not planning on walking down the aisle like that,' snipped Andromeda.

Nymph threw her a dark look. 'I just need help with the zip.'

'Fine,' said Andromeda, sighing. 'Go on, Ara, tell me about this handsome boy.'

'What handsome boy?' Nymph asked, stepping into her dress as Andromeda began to zip her up.

'Nikola,' said Arabella softly. 'Well, he was certainly something. He used to smirk a lot and he kissed my hand a lot, as well. I went to the Yule Ball with him. Complete arse, if I ever saw one.'

'What did you do to him, then?' asked Nymph, her eyes gleaming with mischief.

'Punched him in the stomach and make him choke on some soap,' said Arabella as Andy and Nymph laughed.

'Yes, well, we're right,' said Andy, taking a seat on the bed again. 'Love is horrible.'

'Wait, what?' said Nymph, looking a bit outraged at the two of them. 'Love is not horrible.'

'Yes it is,' said Andromeda and Arabella, the former with a smile and the latter with a nod.

Andy's view on love varied. Ted brought her out of her shell and was definitely the love of her life. And she had a double meaning to certain words. When she says horrible, she really means wonderful. It took Arabella a long time to figure that out.

'How can you say that?' Nymph asked Arabella. 'I get why you said it,' she said to her mother. 'You have some code word thing,' she flailed her hands about. 'But you,' she nearly rounded off on Arabella, 'how can _you _say that? You have Harry.'

'So?' Arabella asked. 'Yeah, I love Harry, so? Love is horrible, it is. For years it was just the three of us, Ted, Mad-Eye, and Remus for me, you know. I only needed you guys and that was fine for me. I had gotten used to other people's perception of me and who I was capable of being. I had gotten used to people calling me the next Death Eater. I was fine; I really was… but then…'

'Harry,' Andromeda said softly with a knowing smile.

'Yeah, Harry,' Arabella sighed. 'He's my stupid person, you know. He smiled at me one day and… it was different. Oh god, who would have guessed that it was his stupid smile that got to me? First two years of being friends with him, I didn't tell him about… well, anything to do with what happened. And he… he just… there was something…'

'He made you fell more alive,' Nymph finished for her, sighing. She stared out into space, as though understanding herself.

'He made me feel something, that's for sure,' said Arabella.

And the three ladies in the room sighed.

There was a knock on the door and Ted popped his head in.

'You do know the wedding is going to start, right?' he asked them.

Arabella got up and walked out the door, stopping to kiss Ted on the cheek before adjourning downstairs, grabbing the small bouquet and ring off the kitchen counter, and out the backyard, where she found Remus, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Mad-Eye Moody, Mr Weasley, Ron, and Ginny.

Arabella barely had time to say anything to her friends, knowing that the bride was going to be coming soon. She merely smiled at them.

It was a small wedding with Kingsley officiating it himself. There were a couple chairs set out for them to sit in. Mr Weasley, Mad-Eye and Kingsley were talking to Remus and stopped once they saw Arabella walk towards them.

'She's coming,' she told them. They all took their places and Arabella smiled at Remus before fixing his tie.

'Nervous?' she asked, beaming up at him.

Remus didn't say anything, but gave a shaky nod.

'Okay, then,' said Arabella as she stood on the bride's side the door to the backyard opened again.

Arabella sighed at the sight of Nymph while Remus looked as though he was put on some sort of a spell where the only two people in the world that mattered were him and Nymphadora Tonks. She was wearing a simple white dress and glowed as Ted and Andromeda walked her down the aisle towards Remus. When they had reached him, Ted shook Remus's hand while Andromeda kissed Nymph's cheek.

Remus and Nymph looked at each other and barely acknowledge Kingsley standing there.

'Friends and Family,' Kingsley began, looking at all of them with a big smile, 'we are gathered here today to witness and celebrate the union of Remus John Lupin and Nymphadora Isla Tonks in marriage. Remus and Tonks – today you enter here as individuals, but you will leave here as husband and wife, blending your lives, expanding your family ties, and embarking upon one of the grandest adventures of human interaction – marriage. Today, the story of your life together begins. And all those here present to witness and celebrate your love and commitment today are eager to be a part of the story yet to be told.'

Arabella glanced around, grinning towards Ron and Ginny. Mrs Weasley, Bill and Fleur were probably still busy planning their wedding and couldn't come and Fred and George were probably at work right now. She turned back to couple while her mind wondered away. She thought back to the time spent Harry, all those moments spent with him, whether it was this year or the one before. But the one memory that she kept going to was the ones spent in the empty classroom.

'May you always need on another, not to fill an emptiness, but to help each other know your fullness. May you want one another, but not out of lack. May you embrace one another, but not encircle one another. May you succeed in all important ways with each other, and not fail in the little graces. May you have happiness, and may you find it in making one another happy. May you have love, and may you find it in loving one another.'

In the front row, Andromeda was quietly sobbing into a handkerchief while Arabella whipped away the tears that flowed down her face.

'Do you, Remus John Lupin, take Nymphadora Isla Tonks, to be your partner in life and sharing your path, equal in love, a mirror for true self, promising to honor and cherish, through good time and bad, until death do you part?'

'I do,' said Remus as Nymph beamed up at her.

'Do you Nymphadora Isla Tonks, take Remus John Lupin to be your –?'

'Yes,' said Nymph and everyone let out a laugh.

'I didn't –'

'Don't care, I do,' said Nymph, smiling at Remus. 'I, Nymphadora Isla Tonks, take Remus John Lupin as my husband. I acknowledge my love and respect for you and invite you to share my life as I hope to share yours. I promise always to recognize you as an equal and always to be conscious of your development as well as my own. I shall seek through kindness and understanding to achieve with you the life we have envisioned.'

'Well then –'

'And in the presence of our family and friends,' said Remus, ignoring Kingsley, who sighed, 'I promise to love you unconditionally, to support you in your goals, to honor and respect you, to laugh with you and cry with you, and to cherish you for as long as we both shall live. In sickness and in health, in good times and in bad, and in joy as well as in sorrow, I vow to be your faithful partner for now until my last dying breath.'

Arabella and Andromeda let out a strange, high-pitched sound, but nobody paid them any attention. Andromeda was now sobbing loudly while Arabella tried to compose herself. Ginny also had tears flowing down her face.

Arabella never knew that those two could be so beautiful together with their words. She swallowed a lump in her throat. She never really thought about getting married before. It never really occurred to her. It always seemed as though she never would get to that point in her life. She figured that somehow she would end up dead before walking down the aisle.

But watching Remus and Nymph gave Arabella ideas. It would be outside and it would be during winter. There would be snow covering the grass and her white dress would blend in with the snow. Remus would walk her down the aisle with Nymph, Hermione and Ginny standing up there with her. Remus, Andromeda, Ted and Mrs Weasley would all be crying in the front row while Fred and George would be in the back making fun of them and whistling at her and her husband, who had bright green eyes.

'Well, do we have the rings?' Kingsley asked.

He, Remus and Nymph turned towards Arabella, who pretended to look clueless.

'I was supposed to get the rings?' she asked, looking shocked. 'Why didn't you tell me?'

Nymphadora looked as though she wanted to take out her wand right now and hex her into oblivion. Remus knew what Arabella was doing and laughed a little. Arabella laughed with him before taking the rings out from the bouquet and passing them to Nymph, who still looked murderous. Everybody else laughed as well while Remus shook his head at her tactics.

'Repeat after me,' said Kingsley, smiling. 'With this ring, I accept you as my wife, now and for all time.'

'With this ring,' said Remus, putting the ring on Nymph's finger, 'I accept you as my wife, now and for all time.'

'With this ring,' said Nymph, doing the same to Remus, 'I accept you as my husband, now and for all time.'

'Family and Friends, I present to you, for the first time, Mr and Mrs Lupin! You man kiss your bride!'

Everyone clapped while Ron wolf-whistled when Remus and Nymphadora embraced each other and shared a passionate kiss. Andromeda continued to cry while Arabella, whose face was covered with tears, laughed and clapped. Ginny was crying as well, but had a smile on her face and hugged Ron's right arm.

'To conclude this ceremony, will the designated witnesses please come forward and sign their names on the certificate of marriage.'

Light background music started to play as Arabella and Moody stepped towards Kingsley to sign their names. Kingsley signed first, then Arabella and Moody.

_Married at the Tonks' residence by Kingsley Nathaniel Shacklebolt._

_This marriage was solemnized between us, Remus John Lupin and Nymphadora Isla Tonks in the presence of us, Arabella Kassandra Black and Alastor Gleeson Moody._

Everyone went to go and congratulate Remus and Nymph. Once Arabella was done, she snuck up behind Ron and gave him a big hug.

'Good to see you too,' said Ron, hugging her before Ginny embraced her as well.

'Where's Mrs Weasley?' she asked them.

'Busy with the wedding,' said Ginny. 'Fred and George are busy at the shop. Beautiful, wasn't it?'

'Oh, it really was,' said Arabella, sighing wistfully.

Mr Weasley, after hugging Remus and then Arabella, collected his kids and went back to the Burrow, where they had to get Bill and Fleur's wedding ready. Kingsley soon followed, heading back to his own home. Moody sat on the steps to the house, waiting for Arabella.

Andromeda and Ted had Nymph to themselves while Remus was all Arabella's.

Arabella immediately brought him into a hug, sobbing quietly into his dress robes. Remus rubbed her back, trying to soothe her down.

'I can't believe you're married,' Arabella mumbled into his dress robes. 'Just… promise me something, okay? Please, just promise me…'

'Sure, sure,' said Remus softly.

'Just… I know you're going to have a life with Nymph and have kids and all of that, but just don't forget me or leave me, you know? Promise to come visit me every once in a while.'

Remus gently cupped her cheeks and wiped the tears from her face and smiled at her.

'Remember what I told you last year? You're my kid as well and you will always have your old room when _you _want to come and visit.'

Arabella smiled and hugged him again.

'I'm so happy for you,' she whispered as Andromeda and Ted approached them while Nymph talked to Moody.

Arabella let go of him while Andromeda hugged him and Ted shook his hands.

'If you hurt her, I'll kill you,' Ted warned him, trying to crush Remus's hand with the handshake.

'Trust me, I'll kill him first,' said Arabella, warning him as well.

Arabella and Ted smiled innocently at each other as Nymph and Moody draw nearer to them as well. Arabella and Nymph hugged each other before all five of them walked towards the edge of the premises, ready to send the newlyweds off.

With one last goodbye, Remus and Nymph held hands before Apparating in front of their eyes and away. Andromeda and Ted walked back to the house, holding hands and walking close together while Arabella and Moody followed closely behind, silently.

Once Arabella got the little things she brought for the wedding, she hugged and kissed Andromeda and Ted on the check before Apparating to Grimmauld Place.

Arabella knew she was safe because she was with Moody. They appeared a couple steps away from Grimmauld Place and he immediately took out his wand and pointed it towards the steps.

Hermione Granger was sitting on the steps with her hands clutching her bag. She looked towards them when they appeared and didn't seem fazed by the wand being pointed at her. Arabella looked at her closely and saw that her eyes were red. She was certainly not expecting Hermione to be here at all, but something about Hermione was a bit off putting.

'Hermione Jean Granger,' she said quietly, standing up. 'And when we were in our second year, you, Arabella, nearly snapped to Fred when he called you Bella and then you told me what happened that day.'

'It's her,' Arabella told Moody, who nodded and walked inside the house while Arabella and Hermione stayed outside.

'Shouldn't we –?' Hermione began.

'Give him a minute,' said Arabella while Moody took care of the security measures. 'Are you okay?'

Hermione merely nodded. Arabella didn't like her being quiet. It was odd to see Hermione like this.

Once Moody gave them the thumbs up, they entered the house. Hermione immediately went upstairs to go to bed while Arabella said goodbye to Moody.

'I'll come back to pick you and Granger up in a two days,' said Moody. 'We'll go to the Weasleys and I'll tell you the plan there.'

'What plan?' Arabella asked.

'The plan to get Potter to the Burrow safely,' he said. 'We'll tell you, Granger and everything soon. After that, we prepare and get Potter. Be ready to go to the Burrow. Pack the kit and every single thing you need.'

'Alright then,' said Arabella, nodding as Moody stepped out of the house and Apparated to his house.

Arabella closed the door and quickly walked up the stairs to tell Hermione the news. Practically running in a dress wasn't the best idea, but she wanted to talk to Hermione first. Arabella stood outside the room Hermione slept in over the summer and pushed the door open.

Hermione was standing in the middle of the room, staring at the wall. She turned around when Arabella opened the door and walked inside. Her eyes were red and she was crying. She was clutching a scarf in her hands and her lips were trembling as she began to cry.

Arabella immediately ran to Hermione as she fell to her knees. She hugged her from behind as Hermione continued to cry her heart out. She kept mumbling something through her thick tears, but Arabella couldn't understand. All she needed to do right now was be there for her girl.

**Thank you for reading. Isla was the name of one of the Blacks that got disowned because she married a Muggle named Bob Hitchens. And I just picked Nathaniel as Kingsley's middle name. Tell me what you think and about the question I asked you at the top! **


	3. The Seven Warriors

**disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, just Arabella. **

**Just a heads up for this chapter, there's a bit of a gap in between (you'll know where). It's at least a week or so gap. And this is a combination of two chapters, 'The Seven Potters' and 'Fallen Warrior,' hence 'The Seven Warriors.'**

**Also, on the whole One-Shot AU note, I'm going to do the one with Kassandra living, but not the genderbend one. Instead, I'm going to do one with Arabella dying instead of Sirius. **

**Anyways, hope you like this chapter! **

The Seven Warriors

The sun was shining through the dark room as Arabella and Hermione lay on Arabella's bed, staring at the ceiling as they waited for Moody to come and pick them up. It's been a couple days since Hermione came to Grimmauld Place. The first night was tough for her and she's stayed in Arabella's bed since.

'You okay?' Arabella asked, turning her head to face Hermione's.

Hermione nodded. 'Yeah, I'm fine.'

Arabella kissed Hermione cheek. 'We'd better get ready then. Mad-Eye's gonna come and pick us up soon. '

Hermione left the room with one last smile before heading to hers.

Arabella took out her rucksack bag that Hermione performed the Undetectable Extension Charm on. The books on Horcruxes were in already in there, all that was left were her other things.

She put in necessary clothes: sweaters, jeans, sweatpants, shirts, boots, gloves, hats, scarves, Sirius's jacket, and the purple dress she was going to wear for Bill and Fleur's wedding. The kit Mad-Eye got her was in there as well, with his knife and the one Sirius got for her. She also packed all her defense books from over the years and the one Remus got her for Christmas. In the front pocket was the Marauder's Map.

Arabella knew Hermione was going to bring a potion-making kit and other books that were necessary. The only thing personal that Arabella was bringing was a picture of couple pictures of Kassandra, Sirius and Remus. The first one was from Kassandra and Sirius's wedding and the next one was of Kassandra and Remus, two of her as a baby with her parents, and then her and Remus a couple birthdays ago. The rest she was leaving in the chest box tightly sealed.

She looked around her room. It looked better than it did a couple days ago, but still a little messy. The posters in her wall were still intact, and her small stacks of CDs were in the corner with the small radio. Her Firebolt was in the corner beside them. On the top of the chest drawer was her grey owl, Shay, sleeping away after doing nothing since summer began.

Arabella grabbed her rucksack bag, Shay, and head downstairs towards the kitchen, where she found some newspapers on the table. She flickered through them quickly, throwing them immediately into the corner of the room, where most of the rubbish was.

She paused slightly on the headline: _ALBUS DUMBLEDORE REMEMBERED by Elphias Doge_ but didn't want to read that again. It was a nicely written piece, but she didn't have time to read about Dumbledore's childhood again. Underneath that article was one named: _DUMBLEDORE – THE TRUTH AT LAST?_

Arabella ripped the article and threw it into the fire, huffing. Bloody Rita Skeeter stirring things up again. Arabella shook her head before grabbing some bread and jam, making it very quickly for her and Hermione.

There was a loud rapping noise on the door, signaling that Mad-Eye was here.

'Hermione, let's go,' shouted Arabella from the bottom of the stairs. 'Moody's here.'

They both exited the house to see Mad-Eye standing on the pavement, with his back to them as he looked at their surroundings.

Arabella and Hermione carefully took out their wands and pointed it at him.

'Where did you hit me?' Arabella asked.

'I didn't,' grunted Mad-Eye, slowly turning around to look at her. 'I cut your leg. Still got that cut?'

'Stopped hurting a while ago, but it's still there,' said Arabella, stowing her wand away. Hermione's eyes grew, but she didn't say anything. She'll probably question Arabella later.

'Ready? Hold on,' said Mad-Eye as Arabella and Hermione grabbed onto his arms.

With a small _pop_, they immediately Apparated to the outskirts of the Burrow. The three of them saw the door to the Burrow open with someone heading their way.

'Oh, it's so good to see you, dears!' said Mrs Weasley, pulling Hermione into a hug first and then Arabella. 'Come in, come in! Quickly, quickly!'

They walked quickly inside, checking their surroundings first before doing so.

Sitting in the living room was Mr Weasley, kindly smiling at Hermione and Arabella; Remus, giving Arabella a tight smile; Nymph with her hair in her favorite shade of bright pink; Bill, badly scared; Fleur, looking slender and beautiful; Kingsley, standing tall in the corner; and Mundungus, small, dirty and looking out of place.

Ron, tall and lanky; Ginny, a little shorter with her hair pulled back into a braid; Fred and George, grinning identically; they were all standing near the kitchen towards the living room.

'Hey –' Arabella began, smiling at Ron and the others, but Mad-Eye interrupted her.

'Chit chat later, we have more important things to do,' snapped Mad-Eye as they all stared at him. 'Now, before I start, you must all realize what we're about to embark on. We had a plan to safely bring Potter here, but there's a slight change now.'

Arabella glanced at Mrs Weasley, who didn't seem too happy about this. Remus didn't look happy about this either. He and Arabella locked eyes for a moment before he nodded, as though coming to accept something.

Ron crossed his hands, preparing himself, while Hermione listened intently to Mad-Eye, hanging on to his every word.

'This plan is dangerous, unsafe, and risky,' Mad-Eye continued on. 'And if you can't stomach something like that, then leave the room.'

Mad-Eye was looking at Arabella, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Fred and George. They didn't move an inch. They stared determinedly back at him, proving their loyalty towards him and the Order.

'Well, then,' said Mad-Eye with a smirk, 'let's get started…'

* * *

Arabella stood in the backyard of Mad-Eye's house, starting at the forest she went hunting it. Maybe if she turned into a coyote again, she could run away and be free. There would be nothing stopping her. She could live in the woods for the rest of her life. She could run free, bath in the streams and be secluded from everyone else.

But she can hear Mundungus shuffling behind her and Mad-Eye gathering the broomsticks.

This was a very foolish plan where a lot of things could go wrong, and since Mundungus suggested it, it was bound to go wrong.

There was a loud bang and she heard Mad-Eye curse loudly.

Arabella turned around and walked slowly towards his shed, where he was struggling to get the broomsticks from in between what looked like a boat and a broken down table.

'Need some help?' Arabella asked.

'Yeah, just get those out,' he grunted, pointing at the broomsticks. He stood aside and Arabella pushed the table away and slipped the broomsticks towards her and passed one to Mad-Eye.

'No, you take this,' said Mad-Eye. 'Give that one to me.'

He handed her back the broomstick and grabbed the other one, which confused her.

'That one used to belong to your grandmother,' he said. 'She was a Chaser on her Quidditch team. Abel didn't like magical things in the house, so she gave it to me to keep.'

'Hekabe was a Chaser?' asked Arabella, her eyebrows rose.

'Yeah, and a darn good one at that,' said Moody. 'Might as well have the one she used.'

Arabella looked down at the broomstick for a while before looking up at Moody again, who looked at his broomstick with no expression, though Arabella did get the hint that he might have been a little sad.

'Let me guess, that's Isaak's,' said Arabella, nodding at the broomstick he was holding.

'Nah, Isaak was horrible on a broom,' said Moody. 'This… this is someone else's.'

She got the hint that he didn't want to talk about it and dropped the subject.

They walked out of the shed and to the front of the house were Mundungus was waiting for them, though trembling a little. Arabella rolled her eyes while Mad-Eye looked as though he was trying to compose himself from hacking Mundugus's head off. He glanced briefly at Arabella, as though apologizing for Mundungus's presence. He then hoisted his bag on his shoulders and bit his tongue.

After Mad-Eye had performed the Disillisionment Charm on them, they mounted their brooms and headed off towards 4 Privet Drive.

* * *

Arabella landed beside Mad-Eye as the Dillusionment Charm wore off. Hagrid mounted off Sirius's bike while the others did the same from their brooms and, in two cases, thestrals.

Arabella zipped up her ratty old sweater and hugged herself against the cool summer breeze.

The door to the house wrenched open and everyone cried a greeting as Harry Potter stepped out of the house. Hermione was the first one to reach him, giving him a hug, while Ron clapped him on the back. Arabella shoved him off before hugging Harry as well, and giving him a kiss on the cheek.

'All righ', Harry? Ready fer the off?' said Hagrid.

'Definitely,' said Harry, beaming around at them all. 'But I wasn't expecting this many of you!'

'Change of plan,' growled Mad-Eye, whose magical eye was spinning rapidly around them. 'Let's get undercover before we talk you through it.'

Harry led them all back into the kitchen where, laughing and chattering, they settled on chairs or leaned against the wall. Arabella settled herself beside Ron, sitting on the kitchen countertop as she scanned the room, smiling at each of them, but not at Mundungus. She still wanted to strangle him.

'Kingsley, I thought you were looking after the Muggle Prime Minister?' Harry called across the room as he stood beside Ron.

'He can get along without me for one might,' said Kingsley. 'You're more important.'

'Harry, guess what?' said Nymph, from on top of the washing machine as she wiggled her left hand at him.

'You got married?' Harry yelped, looking from her to Remus.

'I'm sorry you couldn't be there, Harry, it was very small and quiet.'

'That's brilliant, congrat –'

'All right, all right, we'll have time for a cozy catch-up later!' roared Mad-Eye and silence fell in the kitchen. He turned towards Harry and dropped his bag. 'As Dedalus probably told you, we had to abandon Plan A. Pius Thicknesse has gone over, which give us a big problem. He's made it an imprisonable offense to connect this house to the Floo Network, place a Portkey here, or Apparate in or out. All done in the name of your protection, to prevent You-Know-Who getting in at you. Absolutely pointless, seeing as your mother's charm does that already. What he's really done is to stop you getting out of here safely. Second problem: You're underage, which means you've still got the Trace on you.'

'I don't –'

'The Trace, the Trace!' said Mad-Eye impatiently. 'The charm that detects magical activity around under-seventeens, the way the Ministry finds out about underage magic! If you, or anyone around you, casts a spell to get you out of here, Thicknesse is going to know about it, and so will the Death Eaters. We can't wait for the Trace to break, because the moment you turn seventeen you'll lose all the protection your mother gave you. In short: Pius Thicknesse thinks he's got you cornered good and proper.'

'So what are we going to do?'

'We're going to use the only means of transport left to us, the only ones the Trace can't detect, because we don't need to cast spells to use them: brooms, thestrals, and the motorbike. Now, you're mother's charm will only break under two conditions: when you come of age, or' – Mad-Eye gestured about the kitchen –'you no longer call this place home. You and your aunt and uncle are going your separate ways tonight, in the full understanding that you're never going to live together again, correct?'

Harry nodded.

'So this time, when you leave, there'll be no going back, and the charm will break the moment you get outside its range. We're choosing to break it early, because the alternative is waiting for You-Know-Who to come and seize you the moment you turn seventeen. The one thing we've got on our side is that You-Know-Who doesn't know we're moving you tonight. We've leaked a fake trail to the Ministry: They think you're not leaving until the thirtieth. However, this is You-Know-Who we're dealing with, so we can't just rely on him getting the date wrong. He's bound to have a couple of Death Eaters patrolling the skies in the general are, just in case. So, we've given a dozen different houses every protection we can throw at them. They all look like they could be the place we're going to hide you, they've all got some connection with the Order: my house, Kingsley's place, Molly's Auntie Muriel's – you get the idea.'

'Yeah,' said Harry, though not overall very convincing.

'You'll be going to Tonks's parents. Once you're within the boundaries of the protective enchantments we've put on their house, you'll be able to use a Portkey to the Burrow. Any questions?'

'Er – yes,' said Harry. 'Maybe they won't know which of the twelve secure houses I'm heading for at first, but won't it be sort of obvious once fifteen of us fly off toward Tonks's parents'?'

'Ah,' said Mad-Eye, 'I forgot to mention the key point. Fourteen of us won't be flying to Tonks's parents'. There will be seven Harry Potters moving through the skies tonight, each of them with a companion, each pair heading for a different safe house.'

From inside his cloak, Mad-Eye withdrew a flask of a muddy substance known as Polyjuice Potion.

'No!' said Harry loudly. 'No way!'

'I told them you'd take it like this,' said Hermione with a hint of complacency.

'If you think I'm going to let six people risk their lives –!'

' –because it's the first time for all of us,' said Ron.

'This is different, pretending to be me –'

'Well, none of us really fancy it, Harry,' said Fred earnestly. 'Imagine if something went wrong and we were stuck as specky, scrawny gits forever.'

Arabella laughed and Harry didn't smile.

'You can't do it if I don't cooperate; you need me to give you some hair,' said Harry.

'Well, that's that plan scuppered,' said George. 'Obviously there's no chance at all of us getting a bit of your hair unless you cooperate.'

'Yeah, fourteen of us against one bloke who's not allowed to use magic, we've got no chance,' said Fed.

'Funny,' said Harry, 'really amusing.'

'If it has to come to force, then it will,' growled Mad-Eye, his magical eye now turning to glare at Harry. 'Everyone here's overage, Potter, and they're all prepared to take the risk.'

Mundungus shrugged and grimaced. Mad-Eye's magical eye swerved sideways to glare at him.

'Well, nobody asked you to be here, Mundungus,' snapped Arabella.

'Be nice,' Remus told her, as though she was a child.

'No more arguments,' said Mad-Eye irritably. 'Time's wearing on. I want a few of your hairs, boy, now.'

'But this is mad, there's no need –'

'No need!' snarled Mad-Eye. 'With You-Know-Who out there and half the Ministry on his side? Potter, if we're lucky he'll have swallowed the fake bait and he'll be planning to ambush you on the thirtieth, but he'd be mad not to have a Death Eater or two keeping an eye out, it's what I'd do. They might not be able to get at you or this house while your mother's charm holds, but it's about to break and they know the rough position of the place. Our only chance is to use decoys. Even You-Know-Who can't split himself into seven.'

Arabella and Ron quickly glanced at each other before turning back to Mad-Eye.

'So, Potter – some of your hair, if you please.'

Harry glanced at Ron, who just shrugged at him, as though tell him to just do it.

'Now!' barked Mad-Eye.

With all of their eyes upon him, Harry reached up to the top of his head, grabbed a bundle of hair, and pulled.

'Good,' said Mad-Eye, limping forward as he pulled the stopper out of the flask of potion. Straight in here, if you please.'

Harry dropped the hair into the liquid. The moment it made contact with its surface, the potion began to bubble and smoke, then, all at once, it turned a clear, bright gold.

'Ooh, you look much tastier than Crabbe, Goyle and Parkinson, Harry,' said Hermione, before catching sight of Ron's raised eyebrows, blushing slightly, and saying, 'Oh, you know what I mean – Goyle's potion looked like bogies.'

'Right then, fake Potter line up over there, please,' said Mad-Eye.

Arabella, Ron, Hermione, Fred, George and Fleur lined up in front of the sink.

'Er – let go of me, wouldja?' said Mundungus, trashing at Hagrid, who held him in a tight grip by the scruff of the neck. It seemed as though he was trying to escape.

'You're not even going to change into Harry,' said Arabella, rolling her eyes at his theatrics.

'I've toldjer, I'd sooner protector,' said Mundungus.

'Oh, shut up, you pathetic little cockroach,' snarled Arabella. 'You're supposed to be protecting _me_.'

'And as I've already told you,' growled Mad-Eye, 'any Death Eaters we run into will be aiming to capture Potter, not kill him. You're got nothing to worry about. Nobody cares what happens to you.'

Mundungus did not look reassured, but Arabella did not care one bit. Mad-Eye pulled out half a dozen eggcup-sized glasses from inside his cloak, which he handed out, before pouring a little Polyjuice Potion into each one.

'Altogether, then…'

Arabella, Ron, Hermione, Fred, George and Fleur drank.

Arabella grimaced and gagged at the taste. At once, her height increased, though not by a lot. Her hair darkened, again, not by a lot, and her hair shot back towards her skull.

Mad-Eye was now loosening the ties of the large bag he had brought with him. When he straightened up again, there were six Harry Potter gasping and panting in front of him.

Fred and George turned to each other and said together, 'Wow – we're identical!'

'I dunno, thought, I think I'm still better-looking,' said Fred, examining his reflection in the kettle.

'Bah,' said Fleur, checking herself in the microwave door, 'Bill, don't look at me – I'm 'ideous.'

'Those whose clothes are a bit roomy, I've got smaller here, and vice versa' said Mad-Eye. 'Don't forget the glasses, there's six pairs in the side pocket. And when you're dressed, there's luggage in the other sack.'

Arabella ruffled through the pile of clothes and quickly put them on, turning away from the group for her own privacy. She then put on the glasses and stuffed her clothes away before and took a rucksack and a cage containing a stuffed snowy owl with the other fake Potters.

'Good,' said Mad-Eye, as the last fake Potter faced him. 'The pairs, or in some cases, groups will be as follow: Black, you're with me and Mundungus, travelling by broom –'

'Why'm I with you?' grunted Mundungus, near the back door.

'Because you need watching,' growled Mad-Eye, his magical eye did not move from Mundungus as he continued, 'Arthur and Fred –'

'I'm George,' said the twin at whom Mad-Eye was pointing. 'Can't you even tell us apart when we're Harry?'

'Sorry, George –'

'I'm only yanking your wand, I'm Fred really –'

'Enough messing around!' snarled Mad-Eye. 'The other one – George or Fred or whoever you are – you're with Remus. Miss Delacour –'

'I'm taking Fleur on a thestral,' said Bill. 'She's not that fond of brooms.'

Fleur walked over to stand beside him, giving him a soppy, slavish look that Arabella wanted to laugh at. She bit the insides of her cheek, trying to compose herself.

'Miss Granger with Kingsley, again by thestral –'

Hermione looked reassured as she answered Kingsley's smile.

'Which leaves you and me, Ron!' said Tonks brightly, knocking over a mug tree as she waved at him.

Ron did not as pleased as Hermione.

'An' you're with me, Harry. That all righ'?' said Hagrid, looking a little anxious. 'We'll be on the bike, brooms an' thestrals can't take me weight, see. Not a lot o' room on the seat with me on it, thought, so you'll be in the sidecar.'

'That's great,' said Harry, though did not look truthful.

'We think the Death Eaters will expect you to be on a broom,' said Mad-Eye. 'Snape's had plenty of time to tell them everything about you he's never mentioned before, so if we do run into any Death Eaters, we're betting they'll choose one of the Potters who look at home on a broomstick. All right then,' he went on, tying up the bag with the fake Potter's clothes in it and leading the way back to the door, 'I make it three minutes until we're supposed to leave. No point locking the back door, it won't keep the Death Eaters out when they come looking… Come on…'

Arabella walked into the dark back garden with the others. She strapped the trunk and cage to her broom.

'All right then,' said Mad-Eye. 'Everyone ready, please. I want us to all leave at exactly the same time or the whole point of the diversion's lost.'

Everyone mounted their brooms.

'Good luck, everyone,' shouted Moody. 'See you all in about an hour at the Burrow. On the count of three. One… two… THREE.'

Arabella, Mad-Eye and Mundungus kicked off from the ground and soared upwards. Higher and higher they climbed into the sky, taking in the chilly summer air and flying over the tiny houses with windowed lights. In the distance she could see a faint glimpse of Bill and Fleur, but they were flying faster than the three of them –

And then, out of nowhere, they were surrounded. At least thirty hooded figure appeared out of thin air, suspended in midair and formed a circle heading towards them –

There were screaming and a hot blaze of green light that just missed Arabella.

Eight Death Eaters flew past them and towards Bill and Fleur while the others stayed and took on Mad-Eye, Arabella and Mundungus.

Curses began to shot out of wands. Arabella didn't even know who she was fighting until the mask flew off. There was more passion now when she saw Rabastan Lestrange's face.

She sent Stunning Spell after Stunning Spell at him and whoever she could. It seemed as though some of them headed towards Bill and Fleur's direction.

'Impedimenta!' Arabella yelled towards them before doing the same to Rabastan.

The spell hit him in the middle of his chest. For a moment, he was still as though some invisible barrier hit him and one of the other Death Eaters collided with him. They both fell off their broomsticks with another Death Eater racing towards the ground to rescue them.

It seemed as though more Death Eaters emerged out of nowhere, drawing closer and closer towards them –

'Diffindo!' the closest Death Eater yelled, pointing his wand at her.

Arabella screamed as the slashing of the spell cut against her hips. She held her hands against the cut, already feeling the wetness of blood being drawn. She turned towards the follower to see that it was Yaxley. She recognized him from the posters.

'Oh, no you don't –!' roared Mad-Eye, aiming his wand at Yaxley, but there was no point. Not anymore.

Arabella already saw him. Voldemort was flying like smoke, without a broomstick or thestral to hold him, his red eyes and snake like face gleaming out of the blackness with his white fingers raising his wand –

Mundungus let out a scream and with a _pop_, Disapparated immediately.

Arabella kept sending Stunning Spells around her while clutching on to her hips as it burned. She saw Mad-Eye battling on Death Eaters, though many kept disappearing.

Barely able to hold on to her broom, Arabella heard Voldemort scream, 'Avada –'

'No!'

And with a push, Mad-Eye launched himself in front of Arabella as the green light hit him full in the face. He fell off his broom, disappearing slowly into the darkness as it engulfed him.

'NO!' screamed Arabella, trying to reach out and grab Mad-Eye's hand, but there was no point.

Her features began to change and there was another _pop_ as Voldemort vanished. To where, Arabella did not know. Some Death Eaters were still pursuing her, but as they drew closer, they couldn't reach her.

But Arabella didn't care about that.

She sped her broom to where Mad-Eye fell, feeling dizzy and lightheaded. When she landed on the ground, she used the broomstick to support her weight, but collapsed on the ground all the same. She was just in the protective boundary of Mad-Eye's house and a few feet away from her she could see his body. The body was just outside the barrier with the left hand inside the barrier. She could still bring it in.

From above she could see Death Eaters on their broomsticks in the sky. One by one, they were disappearing away.

Arabella slowly crawled towards the dead body, using whatever strength she could muster to drag herself closer to the body.

She laid her hand slowly on Moody's arm, clutching it and dragging the body closer towards her and away from the boundary. She let out a small cry before a full on wail at the dead body.

Moody's eyes – normal and magical – were both staring that the sky, while his usual hard face looked peaceful. He looked as younger than he really was. He looked content.

Arabella quietly sobbed on his chest, letting out shaking breaths and scream of anguish. Alastor Moody was gone from this world trying to protect her. This was the second time he's saved her life. He couldn't be dead. He was the one who's supposed to survive them all and probably lose another eye along the way. He couldn't be dead…

'Moody, wake up,' said Arabella, through the tears and the lump in her throat. 'Wake up… please… wake up… Moody… please…'

But nothing happened. Arabella let out another scream before pulling her hair and hitting her head.

'I'm sorry…' she whispered towards him. 'I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…'

Arabella gave his cheek a sloppy kiss before trying to push herself up with the broomstick, but she just stumbled towards the ground again. Kicking the broom away, Arabella crawled towards Moody's front porch to where the Portkey was. She alternated putting her hands on her hips to stop the blood flow before she clearly saw the old ratty show, the Portkey.

Arabella took out her wand, pointed at it shakily, and said, 'Ac… Accio Port… Portkey.'

The shoe glowed bright blue just as it flew towards Arabella and she managed to get her hands on it.

With a jerk behind her navel, Arabella was pulled forward, spinning uncontrollably with her fingers glued to the Portkey as she hurtled away from Moody's dead body. Seconds later, she was slammed hard onto the ground and fell onto the side with the cut Yaxley created.

Arabella let out a small scream at the impact of the pain. There were moving footsteps coming towards her and a small scream of horror. She looked up to see Remus pointing his wand at her while trying to hold Harry back.

'Ara – Arabella Kass – Kassandra B – Black,' she shuddered, shivering and feeling her toes turn cold. She tried to pull herself up on her bloody hands, but fell to the ground once again. 'You're goddaughter, and you' – she slowly turned towards Tonks, who looked terrible with bloodshot red eyes –'took me horseback riding couple – couple years ago. The horse fell on me and broke my leg. We – We told everyone that it had weak legs, but you scared – scared it when you were trying to scare me.' Arabella shivered. 'Cold. Moony, I'm cold.'

Remus and Harry immediately dropped to the feet beside her, about to help her up, but Mrs Weasley said, 'Stop!'

They all turned to look at her.

'Move,' she shoved Remus and Harry out of the way and crouched beside Arabella, examining the cut and taking out her wand.

'How – how does it look?' Arabella asked her. 'The cut – how does it look?'

Mrs Weasley glanced nervously at her, biting her lips.

'Tell me the truth,' Arabella whispered.

Mrs Weasley just said, 'I'm going to stand you up now and I want you to keep pressure on it, okay?'

Arabella nodded. With one great pull, Mrs Weasley guided her into the Burrow and into the kitchen. She laid her on the table before walking to the sideboard and talking about a bottle of firewhisky and a glass.

'Do you want to see how it looks?' Mrs Weasley asked her.

Arabella gave a shaky nod.

Mrs Weasley disappeared from the kitchen, though reluctantly, and everyone else filed in. Remus, Harry and Nymph immediately sat in front of her with Ron and Ginny standing behind their chairs. Hagrid sat down on the floor in the corner where he took the most space and was dabbing his eyes with a tablecloth-sized handkerchief. Mr Weasley, Fred, George, Bill and Fleur gathered in front of her, each and every single one of them looking worried.

'How – how bad is it?' she asked them as she curled into a ball, feeling cold.

'It's - It's bad,' said Nymph as she glanced at Arabella's hips with a new set of fresh tears appeared on her face.

Harry immediately held onto her hand, though it was bloody. He squeezed it tightly as Mrs Weasley entered the room again, carrying a mirror big enough for her to see it. She aimed it carefully and Arabella turned her head slightly.

It wasn't just a simple cut. It looked as though her skin had been split open. The edges of her skin were flipped upwards and she could see her flesh. The cut ran from the base of her breasts to the edge of her hipbones and was covering half her hips widthwise.

Arabella turned away, unable to look at it anymore. How many scars has she gained over the years? How many more will she have to endure? Her body was a map filled with cuts, scars, and bruises. Time does not heal wounds. That has never been the case, not matter what anyone has told Arabella. Wounds remain. Scars remain. She remembers abuse the abuse in her life rather than the love in her life. All this does is remind her that her past is real and who she is.

She gripped Harry's hand tightly as Hermione entered the kitchen, carrying a vessel with her and some bandages. Mrs Weasley set the mirror down and began to work on the cut silently.

'What happened?' Bill asked her, ignoring Mrs Weasley's disapproving stare as she applied the medicine on her hip.

'Death Eaters,' grunted Arabella, feeling some sort of relief come from her hips. 'At least thirty of them surrounding us before eight went for you and Fleur. Fought off Rabastan Lestrange, did some damage to him, but more Death Eaters appeared out of nowhere. Yaxley did this. Diffindo.'

'But Diffindo can't cause that much damage,' said Ginny.

'That's his speciality,' mumbled Nymph, watching Mrs Weasley. 'Yaxley is known for it.'

'What happened after that?' Bill asked.

'Mad-Eye tried to finish him off, but I didn't watch happened. Voldemort – _he can fly_ – appeared beside us. Mundungus screamed and Disapparated. We tried to fight the others off, we did. Voldemort aimed the Killing Curse at me thinking that I was Harry.'

Arabella took a deep breath before turning her head towards Mrs Weasley. 'How is it?'

Mrs Weasley looked a little hopeless. 'I can't get it to stitch back together. The medicine only seems to provide some relief, but the skin – it's not –'

'Hermione,' said Arabella, turning to her, who had tears in her eyes, 'can you go to my bag? There's a brown leather kit in there, can you get it for me?'

Hermione nodded and left at once, returning back a minute later. Arabella held it for a minute in her hand, trying her best not to cry that this was Mad-Eye's kit.

'Who wants to stitch me up?' she held it up.

It looked as though none of them wanted to. They all looked at each other in confusing and alarming at Arabella. Mrs Weasley didn't look as though she wanted to do it either.

'I'll do it,' said Remus, taking the kit and standing where Mrs Weasley stood. He took the sewing needle, disinfectant liquid, cloth, lighter, probes and cleaning tools, and bandage out carefully before beginning.

'You know what to do?' Arabella asked him.

'Yes, just finish the story,' Remus said shortly.

'Mad-Eye pushed me away and threw himself in front of me. The curse hit him full in the face and he fell off his broom. Couple Death Eaters tried to chase after me, but I was already within the barrier. Voldemort disappeared after that, I don't know where –'

'Probably to follow me and Kingsley,' Hermione said quietly.

'Probably,' whispered Arabella. 'His body is just inside the protective barrier of his house.'

Arabella let out a hiss just as the burning hot needle pierced through her skin. She gripped Harry's hand even tightly and he did the same to her. She tried to curl herself into a ball, but Nymph held her legs where they were. She let out a small sob as Remus continued, though she didn't know if it was from the pain of the needle or that Mad-Eye was dead.

'What happened to the rest of you lot?' Arabella said through a clenched jaw.

'Couple of Death Eaters tried to finish each us off,' said Nymph. 'Ron stunned one of the Death Eaters straight in the head. Bellatrix tried very hard to kill me –'

'Did you finish her?' Arabella asked.

'No, thought I'd leave her for you,' said Nymph, truthfully. There was a tension in the air as Arabella nodded. 'But we definitely injured Rodolphus before we go to Muriel's.'

'Me and Kingsley were attacked by five Death Eaters before Voldemort came,' said Hermione softly just as Arabella let out another hiss. 'Injured two, might have killed one.'

'Well, I lost an ear –' began George.

'What?!' shouted Arabella, trying to sit up, but that was a bad idea. Harry, Remus and Nymph held her down until Remus was finished and her head began to spin. 'What happened? You lost an –?'

'Snape's work,' said Remus quietly. 'He lost his hood during the chase. Sectumsempra was always a speciality of Snape's. I wish I could say I'd paid him back in kind, but –'

He broke off immediately as Arabella turned her head slightly to face George's. There was a clean, gaping hole where George's ear had been.

'Still the handsome one of the two, I'd say,' said Arabella, trying to smile at him, but groaned at the burning needle.

Once he was done, Remus led her on to the chair beside Harry and Bill poured her a glass of firewhisky before doing the same to everyone else.

'Mad-Eye,' Bill said softly.

'Mad-Eye,' they all said, and drank.

'Mad-Eye,' echoed Hagrid, a little late, with a hiccup.

The firewhisky shot through Arabella's throat, burning the back of it and numbing the pain slightly. She drained the glass in one.

'So Mundungus disappeared?' said Remus, who drained his at once as well.

The atmosphere changed at once. Everyone looked tensed, watching Remus, both wanting to go on and slightly afraid of what they might hear.

'I know what you're thinking,' said Bill, 'and I wondered that too, on the way back here, because they seemed to be expecting us, didn't they? But Mundungus can't have betrayed us. They didn't know there would be seven Harrys, that confused them the moment we appeared, and in case you're forgotten, it was Mundungus who suggested that little bit of skullduggery. Why wouldn't he have told them the essential point? I think Dung panicked, it's as simple as that. He didn't want to come in the first place, but Mad-Eye made him, and You-Know-Who went straight for them. It was enough to make anyone panic.'

'You-Know-Who acted exactly as Mad-Eye expected him to,' sniffed Tonks. 'Mad-Eye said he'd expect the real Harry to be with the toughest, most skilled Aurors. He chased Mad-Eye first, and when Mundungus fled, he switched to Kingsley…'

'Yes, and zat eez all very good,' snapped Fleur, 'but still eet does not explain 'ow zey knew we were moving 'Arry tonight, does eet? Somebody must 'ave been careless. Somebody let slip ze date to an outsider. It is ze only explanation for zem knowing ze date but not ze 'ole plan.'

She glared around at them all, tear tracks etched on her face, silently daring any of them to contradict her. Nobody did. The only sound to break the silence was that of Hagrid hiccupping from behind his handkerchief.

'No,' said Harry loudly and they all turned to look at him, surprised. 'I mean… if somebody made a mistake,' Harry went on, 'and let something slip, I know they didn't mean to do it. It's not their fault. We've got to trust each other. I trust all of you, I don't think anyone in this room would ever sell me to Voldemort.'

More silence followed his words.

'Well said,' Arabella said quietly, holding her glass out for Bill to pour some more firewhisky.

'Yeah, 'ear, 'ear,' said George, with a half glance at Fred, the corner of whose mouth twitched.

Remus was wearing an odd expression as he looked at Harry. It was close to pitying.

'You think I'm a fool?' demanded Harry.

'No, I think you're like James,' said Remus, 'who would have regarded it as the height of dishonor to mistrust his friends.' He set down his glass upon the table and addressed Bill, 'There's work to do. I can ask Kingsley whether –'

'No,' said Bill at once, 'I'll do it, I'll come.'

'Where are you going?' said Nymph and Fleur together.

'Mad-Eye's body,' said Remus. 'We need to recover it. Just inside the protective barrier of his house, right?' he asked Arabella.

'Yeah,' she said, trying to stand up. 'I'm coming.'

'No,' said Remus, gently pushing her back into the chair. 'You did all you could, and you were brilliant. Let us take it from here.'

Remus and Bill said goodbye and left.

'I've got to go too,' said Harry.

Eleven pairs of startled eyes looked at him.

'Don't be silly, Harry,' said Mrs Weasley. 'What are you talking about?'

'I can't stay here,' he said, rubbing his forehead. 'You're all in danger while I'm here. I don't want –'

'But don't be so silly!' said Mrs Weasley. 'The whole point of tonight was to get you here safely, and thank goodness it worked. And Fleur's agreed to get married here rather than in France, we've arranged everything so that we can all stay together and look after you –'

'If Voldemort finds out I'm here –'

'But why should he?' asked Mrs Weasley.

'There are a dozen places you might be now, Harry,' said Mr Weasley. 'He's got no way of knowing which safe house you're in.'

'It's not me I'm worried for!' said Harry.

'We know what,' said Mr Weasley quietly, 'but it would make our efforts tonight seem rather pointless if you left.'

'Yer not goin' anywhere,' growled Hagrid. 'Blimey, Harry, after all we wen' through ter get you here?'

'Yeah, what about my bleeding ear?' said George. 'Or Arabella's hip?'

'I know that –'

'Mad-Eye wouldn't want –'

'I KNOW!' Harry bellowed.

There was a long and awkward silence in which Arabella poured herself another glass of firewhisky, ignoring the fact that her glass was covered with her blood.

'Where's Hedwig, Harry?' Mrs Weasley said coaxingly. 'We can put her up with Pigwidgeon and Shay, and give her something to eat.'

He avoided answering by drinking the last of his firewhisky.

'Wait till it gets out yeh did it again, Harry,' said Hagrid. 'Escaped him, fought him off when he was right on top of yeh!'

'It wasn't me,' said Harry flatly. 'It was my wand. My wand acted of its own accord.'

After a few moments, Hermione said gently, 'But that's impossible, Harry. You mean that you did magic without meaning to. You reacted instinctively.'

'No,' said Harry. 'The bike was falling, I couldn't have told you where Voldemort was, but my wand spun in my hand and found him and shot a spell at him, and it wasn't even a spell I recognized. I've never made gold flames appear before.'

'Often,' said Mrs Weasley, 'when you're in a pressured situation you can produce magic you never dreamed of. Small children often find, before they're trained –'

'It wasn't like that,' said Harry through gritted teeth.

No one said anything. He muttered something about fresh again, set down his glass and left the room.

'Ron, help me up,' said Arabella. He went to her good side and put his arm around her waist while hers went around his shoulder. They slowly walked out of the house with Hermione beside them and found Harry clutching the gate into the garden.

'Harry?' Hermione said cautiously.

'Harry, come back in the house,' said Arabella as she let go of Ron and leaned against the garden gate. 'You can't leave.'

'Yeah, you've got to stay, mate,' said Ron, thumping Harry on the back.

'Are you all right?' Hermione asked, taking a closer look into Harry's face. 'You look awful!'

'Well,' said Harry shakily, 'I probably look better than Ollivander…'

And he told them about how Ollivander was being tortured by Voldemort because he said that by using another wand, the problem would be solved. When he finished telling them what he had seen, Arabella turned white, Ron looked appalled, and Hermione downright terrified.

'But it was supposed to have stopped! Your scar – it wasn't supposed to do this anymore! You mustn't let the connection open up again – Dumbledore wanted you to close your mind!'

When he didn't reply, she gripped his arm.

'Harry, he's taking over the Ministry and the newspapers and half the Wizarding world! Don't let him inside your head too!'

* * *

Ron helped Arabella back into the house and she dropped down on the couch, rubbing her forehead and taking in deep breaths. Mrs Weasley was already hurrying down the stairs with a pillow, some sheets, and Arabella's rucksack bag.

'I don't think you would want to make your way up the stairs just yet,' said Mrs Weasley, covering the sofa with a bed sheet and fluffing the pillow. 'Now, if you need anything, dear, call us. Scream, shout, do whatever you want, but call us. Got it?' she pointed her finger at her threateningly.

Arabella gave her a feeble smile before nodding slowly. Mrs Weasley's face turned to one of pity when she noticed that Arabella's hands were covered in dried blood. She reached to take out her wand, but Arabella stopped her.

'It's okay,' said Arabella. 'I got this.'

Mrs Weasley looked at her for a moment, before quietly nodding. She kissed Arabella's cheek before heading upstairs.

Ron was still standing where he was, watching her with his arms crossed.

'Ron, I'm fine, you don't have to worry about me,' Arabella said quietly. 'I'm still alive.'

Ron rubbed his eyes with his left hand, sighing, before nodding at her and leaving the room with another glance back at her, and he turned off the last light.

The house was quiet and empty. Everybody had gone to bed or back home, in Nymph's case. The only source of light was the twinkling stars outside.

Arabella lifted her hands towards the window behind her. Her whole hand was covered in dried blood, even under her nails had her blood on them. She clenched her hands before bringing them to her hair, gripping it tightly with her eyes closed.

Slowly and carefully as to not disturb her new scar, Arabella took out her wand and pointed it at the kitchen.

'Accio Firewhisky,' she said softly.

With as small scrapping noise from the table, the firewhisky bottle flew into her hand with ease. There was still more than half left. Arabella set it beside her and each for her bag, hissing when her bent, feeling as though some stitches broke. She opened the bag and pointed her wand inside.

'Accio Book.'

The one she wanted, the one Remus got her for Christmas, jumped up and into Arabella's hand. She muttered the spell again and a pencil landed beside her leg.

Arabella muttered, 'Lumos,' before opening the firewhisky bottle and taking a big gulp. She laid her wand beside her before she opened the book to the second page. On the left side, she began to write names in order.

_Arabella Torell_

_Isaak Anastas_

_Hekabe Christos_

_James Potter_

_Lily Potter_

_Kassandra Anastas_

_Frank Longbottom_

_Alice Longbottom_

_Cedric Diggory_

_Sirius Black_

_Albus Dumbledore_

_Alastor Moody_

On the right side, she wrote, in order again:

_Antonin Dolohov_

_Fenrir Greyback_

_Augustus Rookwood_

_Voldemort_

_Peter Pettigrew_

_Bellatrix Lestrange_

_Rodolphus Lestrange_

_Rabastan Lestrange_

_Barty Crouch Jr._

_Severus Snape_

_Draco Malfoy_

_Yaxley_

Arabella crossed out Crouch's name, signaling that he had already been dealt with. She then circled and put a star next to Bellatrix's name. Nymph was right. Bellatrix Lestrange was hers.

She then took the firewhisky bottle, raised it towards the window, to the sky, before swallowing another mouthful.

'Good night and joy be with you all,' she whispered, swallowing some more firewhisky.

Arabella then picked up her pencil and wrote down four words she learned today across the two pages in capital letters, as a reminder:

_ANYBODY CAN BE KILLED_

**Thank you for reading! Tell me what you think! The first set of names go in order from who was killed first and the second set goes in order of who killed that person from the first list. **


	4. The Will of Albus Dumbledore

**disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, just Arabella. Hope you like it! It's two chapters combined into one. **

The Will of Albus Dumbledore

Arabella woke up the next day with the sun shining brightly through the window, blinding her. She groaned before sitting up and rubbing her eyes. Her head was pounding and the events of the previous night came rushing back to her. Mad-Eye. Dead.

'What's this?'

She nearly jumped out of the couch. Ron was sitting on the table, dressed in his pajamas and holding her book, which was opened to the second and third page.

'Jeez, you almost gave me a heart attack,' Arabella said, putting her right hand just over her heart. The subject of her heart was still a little sensitive for her, ever since the end of her fifth year when she actually had a heart attack. 'What are you doing down here?'

'I came to see if you were okay,' said Ron, 'and this was on the ground along with an empty bottle of firewhisky. Again, what is this?'

'What did you do with the firewhisky bottle?' Arabella asked, putting her head against the palm of her hand and looking at Ron is a groggily expression.

'I put it back on the table where it was,' said Ron. 'Mum and Dad will probably think that somebody else finished it, but you're avoiding the question. What is this?'

He was pointing at the pages this time and holding it in front of her face.

'Shut up, Ron,' said Arabella, snatching the book back from him. 'It's none of your business. It has nothing to do with you.'

'If you're making a list to –'

'To what?' snapped Arabella, her voice rising slightly. 'To what exactly? Finish that sentence.'

'To kill people,' said Ron, angry at her and the fact that he said that. 'Then it is my business.'

There were footsteps hurrying down the stairs and Arabella quickly hid the book under her pillow, trying to act nonchalant. They both looked towards the stairs where Mrs Weasley was.

'Morning, dears,' she said. 'Everything alright? Sleep well?'

'Everything's fine, Mrs Weasley,' replied Arabella, smiling at her. She gave Ron a pointed look as she massaged her hip.

'Yeah, fine,' he said, nodding.

* * *

The shock of losing Mad-Eye hung over the house in the days that followed. Arabella kept looking towards the door, expecting him to come limping in like every other member of the Order. Arabella felt nothing but guilt over the next few days, though Mrs Weasley usually kept her busy with the wedding preparations.

After two days of nonstop silverware cleaning, colour matching ribbons, and flowers, de-gnoming the garden and helping Mrs Weasley cook vast batches of canapés; Arabella knew what Mrs Weasley was trying to do. All the jobs she handed out seemed to keep her, Harry, Ron and Hermione away from each other. They had barely anytime to talk to each other since the first night when Mad-Eye died. In fact, this was the first time Arabella had talked to Harry since.

'She probably thinks that if we don't get together and plan, she'll delay us from leaving,' Arabella whispered to him as they laid the table for dinner on the third night of this stay.

'And then what does she think's going to happen?' Harry muttered. 'Someone else might kill of Voldemort while she's holding up here making vol-au-vents?'

'Maybe,' muttered Arabella as she and Harry glanced at each other.

This was the first time that they had been alone since their time at Hogwarts. Arabella was sure he was remembering them too.

'How's the cut?' Harry asked her.

'Not too bad,' said Arabella shrugging. 'Hurts when I sleep on that side or when I touch it… or when I walk… Just moving in general, I guess.'

'Did you put the medicine on it?'

'Every morning and every night, doesn't really help much, though.'

Arabella shrugged with a lazy smile, which Harry returned for a moment before the doors to the Burrow opened, and Mr Weasley, Kingsley, and Bill walked in.

They were often joined by other Order members for dinner now, because the Burrow had replaced Grimmauld Place as the headquarters.

The kitchen was so crowded that evening it was difficult to maneuver knives and forks. Arabella found herself crammed beside Harry. She was trying so hard to avoid brushing his arm she could barely cut her chicken.

'No news about Mad-Eye?' Harry asked Bill.

'Nothing,' replied Bill.

They had not been able to hold a funeral for Moody, because Remus and Bill had failed to recover his body. Arabella had told them numerous times where the body was, but nothing turned out. Remus had told her gently that the protective barrier around Moody's house had been gone since his death. Which Arabella took as meaning that the Death Eaters had his body. Arabella didn't say anything, but silently cried when she took a shower that day.

'The Daily Prophet hasn't said a word about him dying or about finding the body,' Bill went on. 'But that doesn't mean much. It's keeping a lot quiet these days.'

'And they still haven't called a hearing about all the underage magic I used escaping the Death Eaters?' Harry called across the table to Mr Weasley, who shook his head.

'Because they know I had no choice or because they don't want me to tell the world Voldemort attacked me?'

'The latter, I think. Scrimgeour doesn't want to admit that You-Know-Who is as powerful as he is, nor that Azkaban's seen a mass breakout.'

'Yeah, why tell the public the truth?' said Harry.

'Isn't anyone at the Ministry prepared to stand up to him?' asked Ron angrily.

'Of course, Ron, but people are terrified,' Mr Weasley replied, 'terrified that they will be next to disappear, their children the next to be attacked! There are nasty rumors going around. I for one don't believe the Muggle Studies professor at Hogwarts resigned. She hasn't been seen for weeks now. Meanwhile Scrimgeour remains shut up in his office all day. I just hope he's working on a plan.'

There was a pause in which Mrs Weasley magicked the empty plates onto the work surface and served apple tart.

'We must decide 'ow you will be disguised, 'Arry,' said Fleur, once everyone had pudding. 'For ze wedding,' she added, when he looked confused. 'Of course, none of our guests are Death Eaters, but we cannot guarantee zat zey will not let something slip after zey 'ave 'ad champagne.'

'Yes, good point,' said Mrs Weasley from the top of the table, where she sat, spectacles perched on the end of her nose, scanning an immense list of jobs that she had scribbled on a very long piece of parchment. 'Now, Ron, have you cleaned out your room yet?'

'Why?' exclaimed Ron, slamming his spoon down and glaring at his mother. 'Why does my room have to be cleaned out? Harry and I are fine with it the way it is!'

'We are holding your brother's wedding here in a few days' time, young man –'

'And are they getting married in my bedroom?' asked Ron furiously. 'No! So why in the name of Merlin's saggy left –'

'Don't talk to your mother like that,' said Mr Weasley firmly. 'And do as you're told.'

Ron scowled at both his parents, then picked up his spoon and attacked the last few mouthfuls of his apple tart.

'I can help, some of it's my mess,' Harry told Ron, but Mrs Weasley cut across him.

'No, Harry, dear, I'd rather you helped Arthur muck out the chickens, and Hermione, I'd be ever so grateful if you'd change the sheets for Monsieur and Madame Delacour, you know they're arriving at eleven tomorrow morning. And Arabella, if you could tidy up their room as well.'

As it turned out, there was nothing to do for Monsieur and Madame Delacour. Mrs Weasley had forgotten that a couple days ago she had already asked Hermione and Arabella to change the sheets and clean the room.

They had brought their bags to Ron's room and began to sort out all their things while Ron lay on his bed, not cleaning the room, which was just as messy as it's always been. Arabella and Hermione sat in the far corner with Crookshanks at Arabella's feet.

The door to the room creaked open and Ron jumped up. 'I'm doing it, I'm doing –! Oh, it's you.' He lay back on the bed.

'Hi, Harry,' Hermione said, as he sat down on his camp bed.

'How did you manage to get away?'

'Oh, Ron's mum forgot that she asked Arabella and me to change the sheets and clean the room a couple days ago,' said Hermione. She threw Numerology and Grammatica onto one pile and The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts onto the other. Arabella took down the name of the latter on a long piece of parchment.

'I was just thinking about Mad-Eye,' Ron told him. 'I reckon he might have survived.'

'I saw him get hit by the Killing Curse,' said Arabella flatly. 'He pushed me out of the way before it hit him on the face.'

'Yeah, but you were under attack too,' said Ron. 'How can you be sure what you saw?'

Arabella looked up at him before rolling her eyes and looking down again. 'Stop being ridiculous, Ron. Moody's dead and there's nothing we can –'

'Well, all right, if you want him to be dead,' said Ron grumpily, punching his pillow into a more comfortable shape.

'Of course I don't want him to be dead!' snapped Arabella, wanting to bit his head off. 'I never wanted Moody to die! But be realistic!'

Arabella thought back to when she was crawling towards Mad-eye's broken body, holding him close while she wailed next to him.

'The Death Eaters probably tidied up after themselves, that's why no one's found him,' said Ron wisely.

'Yeah,' said Harry. 'Like Barty Crouch, turned into a bone and buried in Hagrid's front garden. They probably transfigured Moody and stuffed him –'

'Don't!' squealed Hermione. She burst into tears over her copy of Spellman's Syllabary while Arabella glared at Harry.

'Oh no,' said Harry, struggling to get up from the old camp bed. 'Hermione, I wasn't trying to upset –'

With a great creaking of rusty bedsprings, Ron bounded off the bed and got there first. One arm around Hermione, he fished in his jean pocket and withdrew a revolting-looking handkerchief that he had used to clean out the oven earlier. Hastily pulling out his wand, he pointed it at the rag and said, 'Tergo.'

The wand drained off most of the greased. Looking rather pleased with himself, Ron handed the slightly smoking handkerchief to Hermione.

'Oh… thanks, Ron… I'm sorry…' She blew her nose and hiccupped. 'It's just so awful, isn't it? R-right after Dumbledore… I j-just n-never imagined Mad-Eye dying, somehow, he seemed so tough!'

'Yeah, I know,' said Ron, giving her a squeeze. 'But you know what he'd say to us if here was here?'

'C-constant vigilance,' said Hermione, mopping her eyes.

'That's right,' said Ron, nodding. 'He'd tell us to learn from what happened to him. And what I've learned is to not trust that cowardly little squit, Mundungus.'

Hermione gave a shaky and leaned forward to pick up two more books. A second later, Ron had snatched his arm back from around his shoulders, she had dropped The Monster Book of Monsters on his foot. The book had broken free from its restraining belt and snapped viciously at Ron's ankle.

'I'm sorry, I'm sorry!' Hermione cried as Arabella wrenched the book from Ron's leg and retied it shut.

'What are you doing with all those books anyway?' Ron asked, limping back to his bed.

'Just trying to decide which ones to take with us,' said Hermione. 'When we're looking for the Horcurxes.'

'Oh, of course,' said Ron, clapping a hand to his forehead. 'I forgot we'll be hunting down Voldemort in a mobile library.'

'Ha ha,' said Hermione, looking down at Spellman's Syllabary. 'I wonder… will we need to translate runes?'

'Probably not,' said Arabella earnestly. 'But you'll probably bring along anyway.'

'Just to be safe,' said Hermione.

She dropped the syllabary onto the larger pile while Arabella wrote the name down.

'Listen,' said Harry.

He had sat up straighter as Arabella, Ron and Hermione looked at him.

'I know you said after Dumbledore's funeral that you wanted to come with me,' Harry began.

'Here he goes,' said Ron, rolling his eyes.

'As we knew he would,' Hermione sighed, turning back to the books with Arabella. 'You know, I think I _will _take Hogwarts, A History.'

'Well, you don't really need it,' said Arabella. 'Let's sort out the other ones before deciding –'

'Listen!' said Harry again.

'No, Harry, you listen,' said Hermione. 'We're coming with you. That was decided months ago – years, really.'

'But –'

'Shut up,' Arabella and Ron said together.

' –are you sure you've thought this through?' Harry persisted.

'Let's see,' said Hermione, slamming Travels with Trolls onto the discarded pile with a rather fierce look. 'We've been packing for days, so we're ready to leave at a moment's notice, which for your information has included doing some pretty difficult magic, not to mention, Arabella had to sneak into Mad-Eye's house and smuggle a whole stock of Polyjuice Potion right under his nose.

'I've also modified my parent's memories so that they're convinced they're really called Wendell and Monica Wilkins, and that their life's ambition is to move to Australia, which they have now done. That's to make it more difficult for Voldemort to track them down and interrogate them about me – or you, because unfortunately, I've told the quite a bit about you.

'Assuming I survive our hunt for the Horcruxes, I'll find Mum and Dad and lift the enchantment. If I don't – well, I think I've cast a good enough charm to keep them safe and happy. Wendell and Monica Wilkins don't know that they've got a daughter, you see.'

Hermione's eyes were swimming with tears again. Ron got back off the bed, put his arms around her once more, and frowned at Harry.

'I – Hermione, I'm sorry – I didn't –' Harry began.

'Didn't realize that the three of us know perfectly well what might happen if we come with you? Well, we do. Ron, show Harry what you've done.'

'Nah, he's just eaten,' said Ron.

'Go on, he needs to know!'

'Oh, all right. Harry, come here.'

For the second time Ron withdrew his arm from around Hermione and stumped over to the door.

'C'mon.'

Harry followed Ron out of the room as Arabella out her arms around Hermione.

'Harry's a big stupid head,' said Arabella, smiling at her. Hermione gave a shaky laugh. 'You know how he is about making sure everyone's safe. He'll realize soon enough.'

They went back to sorting the books just as Ron and Harry rejoined them.

'Once we've left, the ghoul's going to come and live down here in my room,' said Ron. 'I think he's really looking forward to it – well, it's hard to tell, because all he can do is moan and droll – but he nods a lot when you mention it. Anyway, he's going to be me with spattergroit. Good, eh?'

Harry merely looked confused.

'It is!' said Ron, clearly looking frustrated that Harry had not grasped his brilliant plan. 'Look, when we don't turn up at Hogwarts again, everyone's going to think that Hermione, Arabella and I must be with you, right? Which means the Death Eaters will go straight for our families to see if they've got information on where you are.'

'But hopefully it'll look like I've gone away with Mum and Dad. A lot of Muggle-borns are talking about going into hiding at the moment,' said Hermione.

'Well, they'll still probably think that I'm with you,' said Arabella, shrugging. 'But if they go and check up anyways, they'll ask Nymph and Andy and they said they'll cover for me.'

'We can't hide my whole family, it'll look too fishy and they can't all leave their jobs,' said Ron. 'So we're going to put out the story that I'm seriously ill with spattergroit, which is why I can't go back to school. If anyone comes calling to investigate, Mum or Dad can show them the ghoul in my bed, covered in pustules. Spattergroit's really contagious, so they're not going to want to go near him. It won't matter that he can't say anything, either, because apparently you can't once the fungus has spread to your uvula.'

'And your mum and dad are in on this plan?' asked Harry.

'Dad is. He helped Fred and George transform the ghoul. Mum… well, you've seen what she's like. She won't accept we're going till we've gone.'

There was silence in the room, broken only by thuds, parchment scratches and the muffled sounds of Mrs Weasley shouting from four floors below.

'Ginny's probably left a speck of dust on a poxy napkin ring,' said Ron. 'I dunno why the Delacours have got to come two days before the wedding.'

'Fleur's sister's a bridesmaid, she need to be here for the rehearsal, and she's too young to come on her own,' said Hermione.

'Well, guests aren't going to help Mum's stress levels,' said Ron.

'What we really need to decide,' said Hermione, tossing Defensive Magical Theory into the bin without a second glance, 'is where we're going after we leave here. I know you said you wanted to go to Godric's Hollow first, Harry, and I understand why, but… well… shouldn't we make the Horcruxes out priority?'

'If we knew where any of the Horcruxes were, I'd agree with you,' said Harry.

Arabella understood his desire to return to Godric's Hollow. That's where both their lives started and that's where they're parents graves were.

'Don't you think there's a possibility that Voldemort's keeping a watch on Godric's Hollow?' Hermione asked. 'He might expect you to go back and visit your parents' graves once you're free to go wherever you like?'

Ron spoke up, evidently following his own train of thought.

'This R.A.B. person,' he said. 'You know, the one who stole the real locket?'

Hermione nodded.

'He said in his note he was going to destroy it, didn't he?'

Harry dragged his rucksack toward him and pulled out the fake Horcrux, where the note was folded, and read aloud.

''_I have stolen the real Horcrux and intend to destroy it as soon as I can_'.'

'Well, what if he did finish it off?' said Ron.

'Or she,' interrupted Hermione.

'Whichever,' said Ron, 'it'd be one less for us to do!'

'Yes, but we're still going to have to try and trace the real locket, aren't we?' said Hermione. 'To find whether or not it's destroyed.'

'And once we get hold of it, how do we destroy a Horcrux?'

Arabella and Hermione glanced quickly at each other.

'Well, I think we're pretty much covered on that,' said Arabella.

'How?' asked Harry. 'I didn't think there were any books on Horcruxes in the library?'

Hermione turned pink as Arabella spoke. 'Well, you see, Dumbledore removed them from the library, but didn't destroy them.'

Ron sat up straight, wide-eyed.

'How in the name of Merlin's pants have the two of you managed to get your hands on those Horcrux books?'

'It – it wasn't stealing!' said Hermione.

'We're just simply borrowing them for a while,' said Arabella. 'They're still library books, even if Dumbledore took them off the shelves. Anyways, simple Summoning Charm and they zoomed out of Dumbledore's study window right into the girls' dormitory.'

'But when did you do this?' Harry asked.

'Just after Dumbledore's funeral,' said Hermione in a small voice. 'Right after we agreed we'd leave school and go and look for the Horcruxes. We were alone in the dormitory… and I thought it would be better if we knew more about that… they flew straight into the open window and we packed them.'

'I doubt Dumbledore would be angry with us,' said Arabella, shrugging. 'It's not as though we'd want to make one.'

'Where are these books anyway?' said Ron.

Hermione and Arabella rummaged through their rucksacks and then took out large volumes bounded in faded black leather.

'Don't read this one,' said Arabella, pointing at one of them. 'Secret of the Darkest Art – horrible book.'

'What's with that tone?' Hermione asked, sounding taken back.

'What tone?'

'As though you admire it.'

'It was – there's nothing – I don't know,' said Arabella, shrugging. 'Anyways, the more you read about them, the more horrible it sounds. It warns you in this book how unstable your soul will be just by making one Horcrux.'

'Isn't there anyway of putting yourself back together?' Ron asked.

'Yes,' said Hermione, 'but it would be excruciatingly painful.'

'Why? How do you do it?' asked Harry.

'Remorse,' said Hermione. 'You've got to really feel what you've done. There's a footnote. Apparently the pain of it can destroy you. I can't see Voldemort attempting it somehow, can you?'

'No,' said Ron. 'So does it say how to destroy Horcruxes in there?'

'Yes,' said Arabella, flipping through the fragile pages. 'One of the few really foolproof ways of destroying one is what Harry did to Riddle's diary.'

'What, stabbing it with a basilisk fang?' asked Harry.

'Oh well, lucky we've got such a large supply of basilisk fangs, then,' said Ron. 'I was wondering what we were going to do with them.'

'It doesn't have to be a basilisk fang,' said Hermione patiently. 'It has to be something so destructive that the Horcrux can't repair itself. Basilisk venom only has one antidote, and it's incredibly rare –'

' –phoenix tears,' said Harry, nodding.

'Exactly,' said Hermione. 'Our problem is that there are very few substances as destructive as basilisk venom, and they're all dangerous to carry around with you. That's a problem we're going to have to solve, thought, because ripping, smashing, or crushing a Horcrux won't do the trick. You've got to put it beyond magical repair.'

'But even if we wreck the thing it lives in,' said Ron, 'why can't the bit of soul in it just go and live in something else?'

'Because a Horcrux is the complete opposite of a human being.'

Seeing that Harry and Ron looking thoroughly confused, Hermione hurried on, 'Look, if I picked up a sword right now and ran it through Arabella, it wouldn't damage her soul at all.'

'Which would be a real comfort to her, I'm sure,' said Ron. Arabella and Harry laughed.

'It should be, actually! But my point it that whatever happens to her body, her soul would survive, untouched,' said Hermione. 'But it's the other way around with a Horcrux. The fragment of soul inside it depends on it container, its enchanted body, for survival. It can't exist without it.'

'The diary sort of died when I stabbed it,' said Harry.

'And once the diary was properly destroyed, the bit of soul trapped in it could no longer exist. Ginny tried to get rid of the diary before you did, flushing it away, but obviously it came back good as new.'

'Hang on,' said Ron, frowning. 'The bit of soul in that diary was possessing Ginny, wasn't it? How does that work, then?'

'Well, the container is intact, so the bit of soul inside it could flit in and out of someone if they get to close to the object,' said Arabella. 'It has nothing to do with touching, but with an emotional connection. Ginny poured her heart out into the diary, she made herself vulnerable. You can't get too fond or dependent on the Horcrux.'

'I wonder how Dumbledore destroyed the ring?' said Harry. 'Why didn't I ask him? I never really…'

His voice trailed off and silence settled into the room. Arabella continued to flicker through Secrets of the Darkest Art, stopping every once in a while to read a passage or two.

The silence was scattered as the bedroom door flew open with a wall-shaking crash. Hermione shrieked and Arabella dropped Secrets of the Darkest Art. Ron jumped off the bed, skidded on a discarded Chocolate Frog wrapper, and smacked his head on the opposite wall. Harry dived for his wand before they all realized it was Mrs Weasley at the door, whose hair was disheveled and whose face was twisted with rage.

'I'm so sorry to break up this cozy little gathering,' she said, her voice trembling. 'I'm sure you all need your rest… but there are wedding presents stacked in my room that need sorting out and I was under the impression that you had agreed to help.'

'Oh yes,' said Hermione, looking terrified as she leapt to her feet, sending books flying in every direction, 'we will… we're sorry…'

With an anguished look, Hermione hurried out of the room after Mrs Weasley, all the while dragging Arabella.

'I swear to you, if I get married I'm having none of this,' Arabella told Hermione in an undertone as they kept a good distance away from Mrs Weasley. 'One word: Vegas.'

'Seriously?' Hermione asked, looking doubtful. 'Not even a small one?'

Arabella thought about it for a moment, but doubt she'd be alive by then, but humored Hermione. 'Maybe a small one. But I'm not going to arrange it. I don't want any of this headache. I'll just show up with a dress and hopefully remember the guy's name.'

Hermione started to laugh, but at the sight of the pile of wedding presents waiting for them in Mrs Weasley's room, stopped quite abruptly.

The Delacours arrived the following morning at eleven o'clock. Arabella, Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny were feeling quite resentful towards Fleur's family by this time, and it was with ill grace that Ron stumped back upstairs to put on matching socks, and Harry attempted to flatten his hair. Once they had all been deemed smart enough, they trooped out into the sunny backyard to await the visitors.

Mr Weasley had gone to meet the Delacours on top of a nearby hill, where they were to arrive by Portkey. The first sound of their approach was a high-pitched laugh that came out from Mr Weasley, who appeared at the gate moments later, loaded with luggage and leading a beautiful blonde woman who could only be Fleur's mother.

'Maman!' cried Fleur, rushing forward to embrace her. 'Papa!'

Monsieur Delacour was nowhere near as attractive as his wife. He was a head shorter and extremely plum, with a little, pointed black beard. However, he looked good-natured as he bounced towards Mrs Weasley and kissing her twice on each cheek, leaving her flustered.

'You 'ave been to much trouble,' he said in a deep voice. 'Fleur tells us you 'ave been working very 'ard.'

'Oh, it's been nothing, nothing!' trilled Mrs Weasley. 'No trouble at all!'

'Dear lady!' said Monsieur Delacour, holding Mrs Weasley's hand between his own plump ones and beaming. 'We are most honored at the approaching union of our two families! Let me present my wife, Apolline.'

Madame Delacour glided forward and stooped to kiss Mrs Weasley too.

'Enchantee,' she said. 'You 'usband 'as been telling us such amusing stories!'

Mr Weasley gave a maniacal laugh. Mrs Weasley threw him a look upon which he became immediately silent.

'And, of course, you 'av met my leetle daughter, Gabrielle!' said Monsieur Delacour. Gabrielle was Fleur's miniature. She gave Mrs Weasley a dazzling smile and hugged her, then threw Harry a glowing look, batting her eyelashes. Arabella narrowed her eyes at her while Hermione and Ginny tried to hide their laughs.

'Well, come in, do!' said Mrs Weasley brightly, and she ushered the Delacours into the house.

The Delacours were soon revealed as helpful and pleasant guests. They were pleased with everything and keen to assist with the preparations for the wedding. Monsieur Delacour pronounced everything from the seating plan to the bridemaids' shoes 'Charmant!' Madame Delacour was most accomplished at household spells and had the oven properly cleaned in a minute. Gabrielle followed her elder sister around, trying to assist in any way she could and jabbering away in rapid French.

On the downside, the Burrow was not built to accommodate so many people. Mr and Mrs Weasley were now sleeping in the living room, having shut down Monsieur and Madame Delacour's protests and insisted they take their bedroom. Gabrielle was sleeping with Fleur in Percy's old room, and Bill would be sharing with Charlie, his best man, once Charlie arrived from Romania.

* * *

'Wake up,' said Hermione, shaking Arabella. 'For god's sakes, wake up.'

Ginny picked up a book and dropped it on top of Arabella, who woke up with a start. She was lying on her camp bed in Ginny's room. The sun had not yet risen. Arabella rolled her eyes before burying her head back in her pillow.

'You're bleeding through your shirt,' said Hermione, crouching down next to Arabella.

Arabella sighed, not moving. 'Tell me something I don't know.'

Hermione continued to look at Arabella until she finally pushed herself up and opened her kit. Hermione held up a small mirror as Arabella took off her shirt. Some of the stitches on her hip were open. The skin was flapped open in various parts while the other parts were closed together.

'Are you sure you don't want me to do that?' Hermione asked, looking worried.

'I'm fine,' said Arabella, picking up the needle and the lighter. 'Just hold that up. I can do this.'

She made sure the needle was burning hot before putting the thread through it and placing it on her skin. She hissed for a moment before biting her tongue and just continuing on with the stitching. Hermione and Ginny watched her the whole time, looking slightly disgusted.

'How many scars do you have?' Ginny asked.

'Don't know,' said Arabella, just as she finished the end of the scar. 'I never counted them. Got a lot on my shoulders and arms, couple on my hands, one on the leg and then this.'

Ginny just shook her head as Hermione tossed her a clean shirt.

When they arrived in the kitchen they found a pile of presents waiting on the table just for Harry. Bill and Monsieur Delacour were finishing their breakfast while Harry hugged Mrs Weasley.

'Happy birthday, Harry!' said Hermione and Ginny as they added their own presents to the top of the pile.

'It's not much,' said Hermione, 'but I hope you like it. What did you get him?' she added to Ron, who seemed not to hear her.

'Come on, then, open Hermione's!'

She had brought him a new Sneakoscope, but they did not linger at the table, as the arrival of Madam Delacour, Fleur and Gabrielle made the kitchen crowded.

'I'll pack these for you,' Hermione said brightly, taking Harry's presents out of his arms as the five of them headed back upstairs.

'Harry, can you come with me?' Arabella asked him. 'I need to give you your present.'

Arabella led him to Ginny's room and Ron made to follow, but Hermione and Ginny took him by the elbow and tugged him on up the stairs. She nervously stuck her hand in her bag before realizing she was a witch.

'Accio Present,' she whispered and it came shooting out and into her hand. 'Here,' she thrust the box into his hands and stood next to the window as he ripped open the wrapping paper.

The present was a small and simple wooden box that was the size of both of Harry's hand. It was similar to the one Arabella has with all of Kassandra's papers and memories. Inside were little things she collected over the years for the two of them. There were letters that were exchanged during summers, Chocolate Frog cards they've exchanged over the years, pictures and a small drawing Arabella added in as well.

Arabella was looking at him steadily as Harry went through the contents in the box with a smile on his face.

'And what's this supposed to be?' Harry asked, holding up her drawing.

'That's you,' said Arabella obviously.

'No it isn't,' said Harry as Arabella stood next to him near her camp bed. 'Look, what's that?'

'That's the eyes,' Arabella exclaimed, feeling insulted.

'No,' said Harry, looking taken back. 'Then what's that?'

'The nose.'

'Oh, really?' said Harry, peering at it closely.

Arabella took the drawing away, stuffed it back in the box and shoved it at his chest. Harry was laughing while Arabella went to stand near the window.

'I just wanted to give you something you'd remember,' she said quietly, crossing her arms. 'It's not much, but…'

'I like it,' said Harry, standing next to her, gazing out into the brilliant light. 'You didn't have to give me anything.'

Arabella ignored that.

'It's not much,' continued Arabella, 'but I just wanted to show you how much you mean to be. I kept all those things because they reminded me of you.'

'I kept all the letters too,' said Harry. 'But your drawing…'

Arabella laughed. 'Yeah, I can't draw people. Anything else, I'm fine, but not people.'

They both looked at each other for a moment before Arabella leaned in and kissed him, and he kissed her. She kissed him like never before and finally found her blissful oblivion. The kissed burned more than firewhisky and taste better. The feel of Harry with one hand on her back and the other in her long hair –

The door banged open behind them and they jumped apart.

'Oh,' said Ron pointedly. 'Sorry.'

'Ron!' Hermione and Ginny were just behind him, slightly out of breath.

There was a strained silence. Ron's ears were scarlet, Hermione looked nervous, and Ginny looked furious. Arabella wanted to slam the door in their faces.

Ron had turned around and marched downstairs and Harry went to go and follow him. Arabella looked at Hermione and Ginny for a moment before following them as well. They had made their way through the crowded kitchen and hide behind the house and listened to Ron and Harry in the secluded lawn. Arabella was sure Ron and Harry didn't know they were there.

'What are you doing now, messing around with her for?' Ron demanded of Harry.

'I'm not messing around with her,' said Harry.

'Yeah, you are,' said Ron, a hard edge to his tone. 'You need to be careful. You need to watch it.'

'What?' Harry asked, confused. 'What are you talking about?'

'Look, Arabella's not in the right state, okay?' Ron asked and Hermione and Ginny looked at Arabella. 'She was real messed up with the whole Sirius thing –'

'Yeah, I know –'

'No, mate, you don't,' said Ron. 'You weren't there but I was. She was messed up, and I mean _messed_ _up_, and now…'

'And now what?' Harry asked while Hermione and Ginny looked at her in confusion.

'And now she thinks she's going to die. She's got this list and she thinks she's going to die and nobody has given her any reason to think different, especially you.'

'Why didn't you tell her then?'

'It's not going to mean anything if me or Hermione tell her, it's you she wants to hear that from. But you can't get her hopes up and then put her down –'

'She's not an idiot, she knows the risks, it's not as though she's expecting up to – to end up married, or –'

'Yeah, she probably thinks she's going to kick the bucket before that happens,' said Ron.

'Any of us could –'

'Don't say that,' said Ron. 'She probably thinks she's going to be fifty feet under before the years up. You want to know who's on her list? Pretty much every single Death Eater that's messed up her family and Bellatrix Lestrange has a star beside hers and on the bottom says –'

'Okay, I get it!' snapped Harry.

There was a small moment of silence as Arabella, Hermione and Ginny continued to lean against the house away from Ron and Harry. Arabella felt a rush of gratitude towards Ron for looking out for her like that. Her future was painted and coated with Bellatrix and he was right: She's going to end up dead before this war's over.

Ron sighed. 'Look, she's like my sister. I love her like a sister, like Ginny, and I reckon she feels the same way about me. But I don't want anything to happen to her. She's willing to die for you, but you need to give her a reason to stay alive because I can guarantee you, she'll find a way to actually die for you. Give her a reason to fight.'

Harry said nothing while Hermione and Ginny glanced at each other, but Arabella ignored them.

'Okay?' Ron said more quietly.

'Fine,' said Harry, though rather harshly. 'Fine, okay.'

'Right then,' said Ron, sounding rather pleased with himself, 'well, that's… yeah…'

Arabella didn't dare seek another one-to-one meeting with Harry for the rest of the day. Nevertheless, Charlie's arrival came as a much needed relief and distraction to Arabella. It was amusing to watch Mrs Weasley force Charlie into a chair, raise her wand threateningly, and announce that he was about to get a proper haircut.

As Harry's birthday dinner would have stretched the Burrow's kitchen to breaking point even before the arrival of Charlie, Remus, Nymph, and Hagrid, several tables were placed end to end in the garden.

'Out of the way, out of the way!' sang Mrs Weasley, coming through the gate with the Snitch birthday cake suspended in front of her. When the cake had finally landed in the middle of the table, Harry said, 'That looks amazing, Mrs Weasley.'

'Oh, it's nothing, dear,' she said fondly.

By seven o'clock all the guests had arrived, led into the house by Fred and George, who had waited for them at the end of the lane. Hagrid had worn his best, and horrible, hairy brown suit. Although Remus smile as she shook Harry's hand, Arabella thought he looked unhappy while Nymph looked radiant.

'Happy birthday, Harry,' she said, hugging him tightly while Arabella hugged Remus.

'Seventeen, eh!' said Hagrid as he accepted a bucket-sized glass of wine from Fred. 'Six years ter the day since we met, Harry, d'yeh remember it?'

'Vaguely,' said Harry, grinning up at him. 'Didn't you smash down the front door, give Dudley a pig's tail, and tell me I was a wizard?'

'I forge' the details,' Hagrid chortled. 'All righ', Ron, Arabella, Hermione?'

'We're fine,' said Hermione. 'How are you?'

'Ar, not bad. Bin busy, we got some newborn unicorns, I'll show yeh when yeh get back —' The four of them avoided each other's eyes. 'Here, Harry — couldn' think what ter get yeh, but then I remembered this.' He pulled out a small, slightly furry drawstring pouch with a long string, evidently intended to be worn around the neck. 'Mokeskin. Hide anythin' in there an' no one but the owner can get it out. They're rare, them.'

'Hagrid, thanks!'

'S'nothin',' said Hagrid with a wave of a dustbin-lid-sized hand. 'An' there's Charlie! Always liked him — hey! Charlie!'

Charlie approached, running his hand slightly ruefully over his new, brutally short haircut. He was shorter than Ron, thickset, with a number of burns and scratches up his arms.

'Hi, Hagrid, how's it going?'

'Bin meanin' ter write fer ages. How's Norbert doin'?'

'Norbert?' Charlie laughed. 'The Norwegian Ridgeback? We call her Norberta now.'

'Wha — Norbert's a girl?'

'Oh yeah,' said Charlie.

'How can you tell?' asked Hermione.

'They're a lot more vicious,' said Charlie. He looked over his shoulder and dropped his voice. 'Wish Dad would hurry up and get here. Mum's getting edgy.'

They all looked over at Mrs Weasley. She was trying to talk to Madame Delacour while glancing repeatedly at the gate.

'I think we'd better start without Arthur,' she called to the garden at large after a moment or two. 'He must have been held up at –oh!'

They all saw it at the same time: a streak of light that came flying across the yard and onto the table, where it resolved itself into a bright silver weasel, which stood on its hind legs and spoke with Mr Weasley's voice.

'Minister of Magic coming with me.'

The Patronus dissolved into thin air.

'We shouldn't be here,' said Remus at once.

He seized Nymph's wrist and pulled her away.

'Moony –' Arabella called out after him but he merely said, 'I'm sorry – I'll explain later –'

Remus and Nymph reached the fence, climbed over it and vanished from sight. Mrs Weasley looked bewildered.

'The Minister – but why –? I don't understand –'

But there was no time to discuss the matter. A second later Mr Weasley had appeared out of thin air at the gate, accompanied by Rufus Scrimgeour.

They marched across the yard toward the garden and the lantern-lit table, where everybody sat in silence, watching them draw closer.

'Sorry to intrude,' said Scrimgeour, as he limped to a halt before the table. 'Especially as I can see that I am gate-crashing a party.'

His eyes lingered for a moment on the giant Snitch cake.

'Many happy returns.'

'Thanks,' said Harry.

'I require a word with you,' Scrimgeour went on. 'Also with Miss Arabella Black, Mr Ronald Weasley, and Miss Hermione Granger.'

'Us?' said Ron, sounding surprised. 'Why us?'

'I shall tell you that when we are somewhere more private,' said Scrimgeour. 'It there such a place?' he demanded of Mr Weasley.

'Yes, of course,' said Mr Weasley, who looked nervous. 'The, er, living room, why don't you use that?'

'You can lead the way,' Scrimgeour said to Ron. 'There will be no need for you to accompany us, Arthur.'

Scrimgeour did not speak as they all passed through the messy kitchen and into the Burrow's sitting room. He sat himself in the sagging armchair while Harry, Ron and Hermione squeezed themselves onto the sofa. Arabella sat on the arm since her hip was still hurting and she didn't want to re-stitch that again.

'I have some questions for the four of you, and I think it will be best if we do it individually. If you three' – Scrimgeour pointed at Harry, Arabella and Hermione –'can wait upstairs, I will start with Ronald.'

'We're not going anywhere,' said Harry, while Arabella and Hermione nodded heartily.

Scrimgeour gave Harry a cold look.

'Very well then, together,' he said, shrugging. He cleared his throat. 'I am here, as I'm sure you know, because of Albus Dumbledore's will.'

Arabella, Harry, Ron and Hermione looked at each other.

'A surprise, apparently! You were not aware then that Dumbledore had left you anything?'

'A-all of us?' said Ron.

'Yes, all of –'

But Harry interrupted.

'Dumbledore died over a month ago. Why had it taken this long to give us what he left us?'

'Isn't it obvious?' said Hermione, before Scrimgeour could answer. 'They wanted to examine whatever he's left us. You had not right to do that!'

'I had every right,' said Scrimgeour dismissively. 'The Decree for Justifiable Confiscation gives the Ministry the power to confiscate the contents of a will –'

'Oh please,' said Arabella, rolling her eyes, 'that law was passed to stop wizards passing Dark artifacts. I highly doubt Dumbledore was trying to curse the four of us from the grave.'

'Are you still planning to follow a career in Magical Law, Miss Black?' asked Scrimgeour.

'Yeah, gotta weed out the bad seeds,' said Arabella, smiling.

Ron laughed.

'So why have you decided to let us have our things now?' asked Harry. 'Can't think of a pretext to keep them?'

'No, it'll be because the thirty-one days are up,' said Hermione at once. 'They can't keep the objects longer than that unless they can prove they're dangerous. Right?'

'Would you say you were close to Dumbledore, Ronald?' asked Scrimgeour, ignoring Hermione. Ron looked startled.

'Me? Not – not really… It was always Harry who…'

'If you were not very close to Dumbledore, how do you account for the fact that he remembered you in his will? He made exceptionally few personal bequests. The vast majority of his possessions – his private library, his magical instruments, and other personal effects – were left to Hogwarts. Why do you think you were signaled out?'

'I… dunno,' said Ron. 'I… when I say we weren't close… I mean, I think he liked me…'

'You're being modest, Ron,' said Hermione. 'Dumbledore was very fond of you.'

That was stretching it a bit too far, however, Scrimgeour did not seen to be listening. His put his hand inside his cloak and drew out a drawstring pouch. From it, he removed a scroll of parchment which he unrolled and read aloud.

''_The Last Will and Testament of Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore'…_ Yes, here we are…_ 'To Ronald Bilius Weasley, I leave my Deluminator, in the hope that he will remember me when he uses it'.'_

Scrimgeour took from the bag an object that looked like a silver lighter. He leaned forward and pressed the Deluminator to Ron, who took it and turned it over in his fingers, looking stunned.

'This is a valuable object,' said Scrimgeour, watching Ron. 'It may even be unique. Certainly it is of Dumbledore's own design. Why would he have left you an item so rare?'

Ron shook his head, looking bewildered.

'Dumbledore must have taught thousands of students,' Scrimgeour preserved. 'Yet the only ones he remembered in his will are you four. Why is that? To what use did he think you would put his Deluminator, Mr Weasley?'

'Put out lights, I'spose?' mumbled Ron. 'What else could I do with it?'

Evidently Scrimgeour had no suggestions. After squinting at Ron for a moment or two, he turned back to Dumbledore's will.

''_To Miss Hermione Jean Granger, I leave my copy of _The Tales of Beedle the Bard, _in hope that she will find it entertaining and instructive'.'_

Scrimgeour now pulled out of the bag a small book that looked ancient. Hermione took it from Scrimgeour without another word. She held the book in her lap and gazed at it, and a tear splashed onto the title, which was in runes.

'Why do you think Dumbledore left you that book, Miss Granger?' asked Scrimgeour.

'He… he knew I liked books,' said Hermione in a thick voice, mopping her eyes with her sleeve.

'But why that particular book?'

'I don't know. He must have thought I'd enjoy it.'

'Did you ever discuss codes, or any means of passing secret messages, with Dumbledore?'

'No, I didn't,' said Hermione, still wiping her eyes on her sleeve. 'And if the Ministry hasn't found any hidden codes in this book in thirty-one days, I doubt that I will.'

She suppressed a sob and Scrimgeour turned back to the will.

''_To Arabella Kassandra Black_',' he read and Arabella's sides exploded with excitement. ''_I leave you my compass in hope that if you ever feel like a lost girl again, this will help guide your way back home'.'_

Scrimgeour pulled out an instrument no bigger than his hand and handed it over to Arabella, who reach out and took it quietly. It was an ancient looking compass that was golden-brown colour and was about the size of her palm. There was a cover that could be unlocked at the side, where there was also a chain attached to it that was long enough so when Arabella put it on, it would probably reach her stomach.

'This is a particularly instrument, Miss Black,' said Scrimgeour. 'Unlike other compasses, this does not point north.'

'How fascinating,' Arabella said sarcastically as she opened it.

The inside lid was detailed with a map of what appeared to be the world in light colours. On top was a long black needle that just pointed north at the moment, though Arabella knew north was actually at her right.

'This compass points to what the owner wants most,' said Scrimgeour.

Arabella looked up at him for a moment before nodding.

'Why would Dumbledore give this to you?' Scrimgeour asked. 'This is a valuable object, only one left in the whole world.'

'I don't know,' said Arabella, shrugging. 'He probably thought I'd like to have it.'

She turned the compass around, but it continued to point straight, not its supposed north anymore.

''_To Harry James Potter_',' Scrimgeour read, ''_I leave the Snitch he caught in his first Quidditch match at Hogwarts, as a reminder of the rewards of perseverance and skill'.'_

And Scrimgeour pulled out a tiny, walnut-sized golden ball, its silver wings fluttered feebly.

'Why did Dumbledore leave you this Snitch?' asked Scrimgeour.

'No idea,' said Harry. 'For the reasons you just read out, I suppose… to remind me what you can get if you… persevere and whatever it was.'

'You think this is a mere symbolic keepsake, then?'

'I suppose so,' said Harry. What else could it be?'

'I'm asking the question,' said Scrimgeour. 'I notice that your birthday cake is in the shape of a Snitch, why is that?'

Hermione laughed derisively.

'Oh, it can't be a reference to the fact Harry's a great Seeker, that's way too obvious,' she said. 'There must be a secret message in Dumbledore hidden in the icing!'

'I don't think there's anything hidden in the icing,' said Scrimgeour, 'but a snitch would be a very good hiding place for a small object. You know why, I'm sure?'

'Because Snitches have flesh memories,' she said.

'What?' said Harry and Ron together. Arabella rolled her eyes. You think that they two of them would know that, not Hermione.

'Correct,' said Scrimgeour. 'A Snitch is not touched by bare skin before it is released, not even by the maker, who wears gloves. It carries an enchantment by which it can identify the first human to lay hands upon it, in case of a disputed capture. This Snitch will remember your touch, Potter. It occurs to me that Dumbledore might have enchanted this Snitch so that it will open for you.'

Arabella remembers his first Quidditch match. He didn't catch it with his hand, but with his mouth.

'You don't say anything,' said Scrimgeour. 'Perhaps you already know what the Snitch contains?'

'No,' said Harry.

'Take it,' said Scrimgeour quietly.

Harry held out his hand and Scrimgeour leaned forward and placed the Snitch, slowly and deliberately, into Harry's palm.

Nothing happened. Arabella continued to gaze at the Snitch, whose wings continue to flutter.

'That was dramatic' said Harry coolly. Arabella, Ron and Hermione laughed.

'That's all, then, is it?' asked Hermione.

'Not quite,' said Scrimgeour, who looked bad-tempered now. 'Dumbledore left you a second bequest, Potter.'

'What is it?' asked Harry.

Scrimgeour did not bother to read from the will this time.

'The sword of Godric Gryffindor.'

Arabella's eyes widened for a brief moment but Scrimgeour did not pull the sword from the pouch, which looked too small to contain.

'So where is it?' Harry asked.

'Unfortunately,' said Scrimgeour, 'that sword was not Dumbledore's to give away. The sword of Godric Gryffindor is an important historical artifact, and as such, belongs –'

'It belongs to Harry!' said Arabella. 'The sword choose him, he was the one who found it, it came to him out of the Sorting Hat –'

'According to reliable historical sources, the sword may present itself to any worthy Gryffindor, Miss Black,' said Scrimgeour. 'That does not make it the exclusive property of Mr Potter, whatever Dumbledore may have decided. Why do you think –?'

' – Dumbledore wanted to give me the sword?' said Harry. 'Maybe his thought it would look nice on my wall.'

'This is not a joke, Potter!' growled Scrimgeour. 'Was it because Dumbledore believed that only the sword of Gryffindor could defeat the Heir of Slytherin? Did he wish to give you that sword, Potter, because he believed, as do many, that you are the one destined to destroy He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?'

'Interesting theory,' said Harry. 'Has anyone ever tried sticking a sword in Voldemort? Maybe the Ministry should put some people onto that, instead of wasting their time stripping down compasses or covering up breakouts from Azkaban. So is this what you've been doing, Minister, shut up in your office, trying to break open a Snitch? People are dying – I was nearly one of them – Voldemort chased me across three counties, he killed Mad-Eye Moody, but there's been no word about any of that from the Ministry, has there? And you still expect us to cooperate with you!'

'You go too far!' shouted Scrimgeour, standing up. Harry jumped to his feet too. Scrimgeour limped toward Harry and jabbed him hard in this chest with the point of his wand. It singed a hole in Harry's t-shirt like a lit cigarette.

'Oi!' said Ron. He and Arabella jumped up and took out their wand, but Harry said, 'No! D'you want to give him an excuse to arrest us?'

'Remembered you're not at school, have you?' said Scrimgeour, breathing hard into Harry's face. 'Remember that I am not Dumbledore, who forgave your insolence and insubordination? You my wear that scar like a crown, Potter, but it is not up to a seventeen year old boy to tell me how to do my job! It's time you learned some respect!'

'It's time you earned it,' said Harry.

The floor trembled. There was a sound of running footsteps, then the door to the living room burst open and Mr and Mrs Weasley ran in.

'We – we thought we heard –' began Mr Weasley, looking thoroughly alarmed at the sight of Harry and the Minister virtually nose to nose.

' – raised voices,' panted Mrs Weasley.

Scrimgeour took a couple steps back from Harry, glancing at the hole he had made in Harry's t-shirt. He seemed to regret his loss of temper.

'It – it was nothing,' he growled. 'I… regret your attitude,' he said, looking Harry full in the face once more. 'You seem to think that the Ministry does not desire what you – what Dumbledore – desired. We ought to be working together.'

'I don't like your methods, Minister,' said Harry. 'Remember?'

He raised his right fist and displayed to Scrimgeour the scars that still showed white on the back of it, spelling _I must not tell lies_. Scrimgeour's expression hardened. He glanced at Arabella for a moment before turning away and limping from the room without another word. Mrs Weasley hurried after him. After a minute or so she called, 'He's gone!'

'What did he want?' Mr. Weasley asked, looking around at

Harry, Ron, and Hermione as Mrs. Weasley came hurrying back to them.

'To give us what Dumbledore left us,' said Harry. 'They've only just released the contents of his will.'

Outside in the garden, over the dinner tables, the four objects Scrimgeour had given them were passed from hand to hand. Everyone ate rather hurriedly and then, after a hasty chorus of 'Happy Birthday' and much gulping of cake, the party broke.

'Meet us upstairs,' Harry whispered to Arabella and Hermione, while they helped Mrs Weasley restore the garden to its normal state. 'After everyone's gone to bed.'

Arabella and Hermione tapped on the attic room door and tiptoed inside.

'Muffliato,' Hermione whispered, waving her wand in the direction of the stairs.

'Thought you didn't approve of that spell?' said Ron.

'Times change,' said Hermione. 'Now, show us that Deluminator.'

Ron obliged at once. Holding it up in front of him, he clicked it. The lamp they had went out at once.

'The thing it,' whispered Hermione through the dark, 'we could have achieved that with Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder.'

There was a small _click_, and the ball of light from the lamp flew back to the ceiling and illuminated them all once more.

'Still, it's cool,' said Ron, a little defensively. 'And from what they said, Dumbledore invented it himself.'

'I know but surely he wouldn't have singled you out in his will just to help us turn out the lights!'

'Definitely,' said Hermione. 'He couldn't tell us in the will why he was leaving us these things, but tat still doesn't explain…'

'… why he couldn't have given us a hint when he was alive?' asked Ron.

'Well, exactly,' said Hermione, now flicking through The Tales of Beedle the Bard. 'If these things are important enough to pass on right under the nose of the Ministry, you'd think he'd have let us know why… unless he thought it was obvious?'

'Thought wrong, then didn't he?' said Ron. 'I always said he was mental. Brilliant and everything, but cracked. Leaving Arabella a compass – what the hell was that about?'

'I've read about them,' said Hermione. 'Only four of them were made by this wizard named Acamas Angelopoulos, a couple hundred years ago. After they were created, he disappeared. Two of them were destroyed and one disappeared with Angelopoulos. This must be the last one left. Scrimgeour was right. This does not point north, but to the owner's deepest desire. Almost like the Mirror of Erised.'

Arabella was standing near with window, picking at the compass. She picked at the lid and found that it opened. She took the needle out and the lid.

'What's that?' asked Hermione, standing next to Arabella.

'It's a piece of parchment,' Arabella said in a hushed tone. Harry and Ron scrambled from their beds and stood next to Arabella, waiting to see what it was. Their faces were coated with excitement as they looked inside the compass.

Arabella unrolled the tiny parchment to thin, slanting handwriting that could only be Dumbledore's: _HM Prison Shotts. _

'A prison?' whispered Ron, looking slightly let down. 'A prison? How is that important?'

'I've heard about that place,' said Hermione, her eyes widening. 'It holds some of the most dangerous and violent criminals.'

'Don't all prisons do that?' asked Arabella flatly. 'But what does this have to do with me?'

A prison? What's so interesting in there that Arabella should know or care about? She put the compass back together, with the parchment, and out it around her neck, which did reach to her stomach.

'Hey, there's writing on this too! Quick, look!' said Harry, holding up his stitch.

Engraved upon the golden surface were five words written in the thin, slanting handwriting: _I open at the close. _

''I open at the close…'' said Harry. 'What's that supposed to mean?'

Arabella, Hermione and Ron shook their heads, looking blank.

Arabella continued to think about the small parchment, but no explanation popped into her head. And how the hell did the Ministry miss that small parchment? Are they that stupid? Or is the compass like a Snitch? It can only work with the owner's touch?

But what does that prison have to do with her?

'And the sword,' said Ron finally, 'why did he want Harry to have the sword?'

'And why couldn't he just have told me' Harry said quietly. 'It was there, it was right there on the wall of his office during all our talks last year! If he wanted me to have it, why didn't he just give it to me then?'

'And as for this book,' said Hermione, 'The Tales of Beedle the Bard_…_ I've never even heard of them!'

'You've never heard of The Tales of Beedle the Bard?' said Ron incredulously. 'You're kidding, right?'

'No, I'm not!' said Hermione in surprise. 'Do you know them, then?'

'Well, of course I do!'

Ron looked around the room and found Arabella to be the only one that understood him. He looked bemused by Hermione and Harry's surprise.

'Oh come one!' said Ron. 'All the old kids' stories are supposed to be Beedle's aren't they? 'The Fountain of Fair Fortune'.'

''The Wizard and the Hopping Pot',' said Arabella.

''Babbitty Rabbitty and her Cackling Stump'.'

'Excuse me?' said Hermione, giggling. 'What was that last one?'

'Come off it!' said Ron, looking in disbelief from Harry to Hermione. 'You must've heard of Babbitty Rabbitty –'

'Ron, you know full well Harry and I were brought up by Muggles!' said Hermione. 'We didn't hear stories like that when we were little, we heard 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs' and 'Cinderella' —'

'What's that, an illness?' asked Ron.

'So these are children's stories?' asked Hermione, bending again over the runes.

'Yeah,' said Ron uncertainly, 'I mean, that's just what you hear, you know, that all these old stories came from Beedle. I dunno what they're like in the original versions.'

'But I wonder why Dumbledore thought I should read them?'

Something creaked downstairs.

'Probably just Charlie, now Mum's asleep, sneaking off to regrow his hair,' said Ron nervously.

'All the same, we should get to bed,' whispered Hermione. 'It wouldn't do to oversleep tomorrow.'

'No,' agreed Ron. 'A brutal triple murder by the bridegroom's mother might put a bit of a damper on the wedding. I'll get the lights.'

And he clicked the Deluminator once more as Arabella and Hermione left the room.

**Thank you for reading! Tell me what you think!**


	5. The Wedding

**disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, just Arabella. Short chapter, next one will be longer. Hope you like it!**

The Wedding

Arabella found herself standing in the washroom the following evening. She had just put on her purple dress and was currently hiding from Mrs Weasley and Fleur, and was currently waiting from Hermione's signal that she was done.

Harry, Ron, Fred and George were all outside the marquee, awaiting the arrival of the wedding guests with a seating plan each. Harry had taken a large dose of Polyjuice Potion and was now the double of a redheaded Muggle boy from the local village. The plan was to introduce Harry as 'Cousin Barny' and trust to the great number of Weasley relatives to camouflage him.

There was a quiet tap on the door and Arabella quietly opened to find Hermione standing on the other side, looking slightly uncomfortable in her lilac coloured dress.

'Come on, let's get out of here,' said Arabella. 'You got your bag?'

Hermione nodded, indicating to the small beaded bag. Arabella's rucksack bag was in there as well.

'There are way too many people here,' Arabella muttered. 'What's wrong?'

'I just met Auntie Muriel,' said Hermione, 'just as she was giving Fleur the tiara. She said, 'Oh dear, is that the Muggle-born? Bad posture and skinny ankles.'

'You do not have bad posture,' said Arabella, scrunching her eyebrows. 'And your ankles aren't _that_ skinny.'

'Thank,' said Hermione, rolling her eyes.

They quickly stepped onto the yard to see brightly coloured figures appearing one by one and heading towards the great white marquee. Arabella quickly pushed and shoved their way through the crowd, to the dismay of many of the guests. Hermione had quickly spotted Ron and the disguised Harry and hurried to them, dragging Arabella, who was about to get into a fight with an older looking wizard. They were standing just outside the marquee.

'Wow,' said Ron, blinking rapidly as the two of them approached. He only had eyes for Hermione. 'You look great!'

'Always the tone of surprise,' said Hermione, though she smiled. 'You're Great-Aunt Muriel doesn't agree, I met her while she was giving Fleur the tiara. She said, 'Oh dear, is this the Muggle-born?' and then, 'Bad posture and skinny ankles.''

'Don't take it personally, she's rude to everyone,' said Ron.

'Talking about Muriel?' inquired George, emerging from the marquee with Fred. 'Yeah, she's just told me my ears are lopsided. Old bat. I wish Uncle Bilius was still with us, though. He was a right laugh at weddings.'

'Wasn't he the one who saw a Grim and died twenty-four hours later?' asked Hermione.

'Well, yeah, he went a bit odd toward the end,' conceded George.

'But before he went loopy he was the life and soul of the party,' said Fred. 'He used to down an entire bottle of firewhisky, then run onto the dance floor, hoist up his robes, and start pulling bunches of flowers out of his –'

'Yes, he sounds like a real charmer,' said Hermione, while Harry roared with laughter.

'Never married, for some reason,' said Ron.

'You amaze me,' said Hermione.

They were all laughing so much that none of them noticed the latecomer, a dark-haired young man with a large, curved nose and thick black eyebrows, until he held out his invitation to Ron and, with his eyes on Hermione, said, 'You look vunderful.'

'Viktor!' she shrieked, and dropped her small beaded bag, which made a loud thump. As she scrambled to pick it up, she said, 'I didn't know you were – goodness – it's lovely to see – how are you?'

Ron's ears turned bright red. After glancing at Krum's invitation, he said, much too loudly, 'How come you're here?'

'Fleur invited me,' said Krum, eyebrows raised.

Arabella shook his hands, having no grudge against him before offering to show him to his seat.

'Your friend is not pleased to see me,' said Krum as they entered the now packed marquee.

'Well, today's a busy day,' said Arabella, sighing. Against all her beliefs, she said, 'How's Nikola?'

Krum shrugged. 'The last I heard, he got married. After that, I don't know.'

Arabella was too shocked to realize that Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred and George were hurrying down the aisle.

'Time to sit down,' Fred told her, 'or we're going to get run over by the bride.'

Arabella, Harry, Ron and Hermione took their seats in the second row behind Fred and George. Hermione looked rather pink and Ron's ears were still red.

A sense of jittery anticipation had filled the warm tent, the general murmuring broken by occasional excited laughter. Mr and Mrs Weasley strolled up the aisle, smiling and waving at relatives.

A moment later Bill and Charlie stood up at the front of the marquee, both wearing dress robes, with large white roses in their buttonholes. Fred wolf-whistled and there was an outbreak of giggling from the vela cousins. Then the crowd fell silent as music swelled from what seemed to be the golden balloons.

A great collective sigh issued from the assembled witches and wizards as Monsieur Delacour and Fleur came walking up the aisle, Fleur gliding, Monsieur Delacour bouncing and beaming. Fleur was wearing a very simple white dress and seemed to be emitting a strong glow. One Fleur had reached him, Bill did not look as though he had ever met Fenrir Greyback.

'Ladies and gentlemen,' said a small, tufty-haired wizard standing in front of Bill and Fleur. 'We are gathered here today to celebrate the union of two faithful souls…'

'Yes, my tiara sets off the whole thing nicely,' said Auntie Muriel in a rather carrying whisper. 'But I must say, Ginevra's dress is far too low cut.'

Arabella and Harry snorted, clutching each other's hand while trying not to laugh aloud. They look at each other quickly before turning back to the front again.

'Do you, William Arthur, take Fleur Isabelle…?'

In the front row, Mrs Weasley and Madame Delacour were both sobbing quietly into scraps of lace. There were trumpet sounds coming from the back of the marquee that told everyone Hagrid had taken out his own tablecloth-sized handkerchief.

'… then I declare you bonded for life.'

The small wizard waved his wand high over the heads of Bill and Fleur and a shower of silver stars fell upon them, spiraling around their new entwined fingers. As Fred and George led a round of applause, the golden balloons overhead burst. Birds of paradise and tiny golden bells flew and floated out of them, adding their songs and chimes to the din.

'Ladies and gentlemen!' called the small wizards. 'If you would please stand up!'

They all did so, Auntie Muriel grumbling audibly. He waved his wand again. The seats on which they had been sitting rose gracefully into the air as the canvas walls of the marquee vanished, so that they stood beneath a canopy supported by golden poles, with a glorious view of the sunlit orchard and surrounding countryside. Next, a pool of molten gold spread from the centre of the tent to form a gleaming dance floor. The hovering chairs grouped themselves around small, white-clothes table, which all floated gracefully back to earth around it, and the band trooped toward a podium.

'Smooth,' said Ron approvingly as the waiters popped up all sides, some bearing silver trays of pumpkin juice, butterbeer, and firewhisky, others tottering piles of tart and sandwiches.

'We should go and congratulate them!' said Hermione, standing up on tiptoe to see the place where Bill and Fleur had vanished amid a crowd of well-wishers.

'We'll have time later,' shrugged Ron, snatching four butterbeers from a passing tray and handing one to Arabella and Harry. 'Hermione, cop hold, let's grab a table… Not there! Nowhere near Muriel –'

Ron led the way across the empty dance floor, glancing left and right as he went. By the time they had reached the other side of the marquee, most of the tables were occupied. The emptiest was the one where Luna sat alone.

'All right if we join you?' asked Ron.

'Oh yes,' she said happily. 'Daddy's just gone to give Bill and Fleur our present.'

'What is it, a lifetime's supply of Gurdyroots?' asked Ron.

The band had begun to play. Bill and Fleur took to the dance floor first, to great applause. After a while, Mr Weasley led Madame Delacour onto the floor, followed by Mrs Weasley and Fleur's father.

'I like this song,' said Luna, swaying in time to the waltz-like tune, and a few seconds later she stood up and glided onto the dance floor, where she revolved on the spot, quite alone, eyes closed and waving her arms.

'She's great, isn't she?' said Ron admiringly. 'Always good value.'

But the smile vanished from his face at once. Krum had dropped into Luna's vacant seat. Hermione looked pleasurably flustered, but this time Krum had not come to compliment her. With a scowl, he said, 'Who is that man in the yellow?'

'That's Xenophilius Lovegood, he's the father of a friends of ours,' said Ron. 'Come and dance,' he added abruptly to Hermione.

She looked taken aback, but pleased too, and got up. They vanished together into the growing throng on the dance floor.

'Ah, they are together now?' asked Krum, momentarily distracted.

'Er – sort of,' said Harry.

'Who are you?' Krum asked.

'Barny Weasley.'

Arabella drank from her goblet, hiding her smile.

'Hey, Arabella,' said Fred, appearing beside her. 'Come dance with me, will yeah?'

She hesitated for a moment.

'It's not like your boyfriend's here,' he added cheekily.

Arabella smiled, rolling her eyes, before getting up and walking to the dance floor with him. She grabbed a sandwich from a passing waiter before making her way to the middle of the dance floor with Fred. Ron and Hermione were dancing there as well with Ginny dancing with Lee Jordan.

She alternated between the Weasley twins as the two of them twirled her around and the three of them laughter in their clumsy movements. Fred and George ditched her

As the evening drew, Fred and George had ditched Arabella for a pair of Fleur's cousins. Initially feeling hurt, she didn't blame them when she saw the pair of veelas. She had danced with Charlie for a while before he, Hagrid and a squat wizard began to sing 'Odo the Hero' in a corner.

After dancing with a radiating Nymph, Arabella finally took a seat, panting as she slipping off her shoes and rubbed her feet. Hermione had appeared out of the crowd and drew a chair beside her.

'I simply can't dance anymore,' she said, panting as well and rubbing her feet too. 'Ron's gone looking to find more butterbeers. Have you see Harry?'

'No, but get this,' said Arabella, leaning in closer to Hermione. 'Remember Nikola? He's married.'

Hermione's eyes widened. 'Married? Who told you? When did it happen? Who did he marry?'

'Krum told me when I showed him his seat,' said Arabella. 'He doesn't know anything else. It seems as though they're not friends anymore. I honestly feel bad for the wife.'

Hermione opened her mouth to say something, but at that moment, something large and silver came falling through the canopy over the dance floor. The lynx was graceful and glowing as it landed in the middle of shocked dancers. All their heads turned while the closest froze. Then, the Patronus's mouth opened wide and it spoke in the loud and deep voice of Kingsley Shacklebolt.

'_The Ministry has fallen. Scrimgeour is dead. They are coming._'

**Thank you for reading! Next chapter will be longer. **


	6. A Place to Hide

**disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, just Arabella. Hope you like it! **

A Place to Hide

Everything seemed fuzzy, slow. Arabella and Hermione jumped to their feet and drew their wands. Many people were only just realizing that something strange had happened. Heads were still turning toward the silver lynx as it vanished. Silence spread outward from the place where the Patronus had landed. Then somebody screamed.

Arabella and Hermione threw themselves into the packing crowd. Guests were sprinting in all directions. Many were Disapparating; the protective enchantments around the Burrow had broken.

'Ron!' Hermione cried. 'Harry! Where are you?'

As they pushed their way across the dance floor, Arabella saw cloaked and masked figures appearing in the crowd, then she saw Remus and Nymph, their wands raised, and heard both of the shout, 'Protego!', a cry that echoed on all sides –

'Ron!' Hermione called, half sobbing as she and Arabella were knocked by terrified guests. Arabella seized her hand to make sure they weren't separated as a streak of light whizzed over their heads, whether a protective charm or something more sinister she did not know –

And then Ron and Harry were there. Ron had grabbed Hermione's free arm while Harry did the same to Arabella. She felt Hermione turn on the spot. All she could feel was Hermione's hand as she was squeezed through space. The light of the wedding vanished and they were going away from the Burrow, away from the Death Eaters and, perhaps, away from Voldemort himself…

'Where are we?' said Ron's voice.

'Tottenham Court Road,' panted Hermione. 'Walk, just walk, we need to find somewhere for you to change.'

Arabella did as she asked. They half walked, half ran up the wide dark street crowded people and lined up with closed shops, stars twinkling above them. A double decker bus rumbled by them and a group of merry pub-goers eyed them as they passed. Harry and Ron were still wearing dress robes.

'Hermione, we haven't got anything to change into,' Ron told her, as a young woman burst into giggles at the sight of them.

'Why didn't I make sure I had the Invisibility Cloak with me?' said Harry. 'All last year I kept it on me and –'

'It's okay, we got this,' said Hermione. 'Just try and act naturally until – this will do.'

She led them down a side street, and into the shelter of a shadowy alleyway. She rummaged through her small beaded bag.

'Yes, here,' said Hermione as she pulled out Arabella's rucksack bag and handed it to her.

Arabella took out her jeans, sweatshirt, and Harry's Invisibility Cloak.

'How the ruddy hell –?' Ron began when Hermione handed him jeans and a sweatshirt.

'Undetectable Extension Charm,' said Hermione. 'Tricky, but I think I've done it okay. Anyway, I managed to fit everything we need in these two bags. Harry, you'd better take the Invisibility Cloak. Ron, hurry up and change…'

'When did you do all this?' Harry asked as Ron and Arabella began to change.

'I told you at the Burrow, we've had the essentials packed for days, you know, in case we needed to make a quick getaway. I packed your rucksack this morning, Harry, after you changed, and put it in here… Had a feeling…'

'You're amazing, you are,' said Ron, handing her his bundled up robes.

'Thank you,' said Hermione, managing a smile. 'Please, Harry, get that Cloak on!'

Harry threw the Invisibility Cloak around her shoulders and vanished from sight. Arabella stuffed her dress into the bag and pulled it over her shoulder.

'The others – everyone at the wedding –' Harry began.

'We can't worry about them now,' said Arabella. 'It's you they're after and we'll just put them in even more danger by going back.

'She's right,' said Ron. 'Most of the Order was there, they'll look after everyone.'

'Yeah.'

'Come on, I think we ought to keep moving,' said Hermione.

They moved back up the side street and onto the main road again, where a group of men on the opposite side was singing and weaving across the pavement.

'Just as a matter of interest, why Tottenham Court Road?' Ron asked Hermione.

'I've no idea, it just popped into my head, but I'm sure we're safer out in the Muggle world, it's not where they'll expect us to be.'

'True,' said Ron, looking around, 'but don't you feel a bit – exposed?'

'Where else is there?' asked Hermione, cringing as the men on the other side of the road started wolf-whistling. 'We can hardly book rooms at the Leaky Cauldron, can we… Oh, I wish they'd shut up!'

'All right, darling?' the drunkest of the men on the other pavement was yelling at Arabella. 'Fancy a drink? You look mighty lonely there, have a pint!'

'Let's sit down somewhere,' Arabella said, rolling her eyes as Ron opened his mouth to shout at them. 'Look here, this will do.'

It was a small and shabby all-night café. A light layer of grease lay on the table, but it was at least empty. Harry slipped into a booth first and Ron sat next to him opposite Arabella and Hermione, who had their backs to the entrance and did not like it. They glanced over their shoulders frequently.

After a moment or two, Ron said, 'You know, we're not far from the Leaky Cauldron here, it's only a Charing Cross –'

'Ron, we can't!' said Hermione at once.

'Not to stay there, bit to find out what's going on!'

'We know what's going on! Voldemort's taken over the Ministry, what else do we need to know?'

'Okay, okay, it was just an idea!'

They relapsed into a touchy silence. The waitress shuffled over and Hermione ordered three cappuccinos. A pair of burly workmen entered the café and squeezed into the next booth. Hermione dropped her voice to a whisper.

'I say we find a quiet place to Disapparate and head for the countryside. Once we're there, we could send a message to the Order.'

'Can you do that talking Patronus thing, then?' asked Ron.

'I've been practicing and I think so,' said Hermione.

'Well, as long as it doesn't get them into trouble, though they might've been arrested already. God, that's revolting,' Ron added after one sip of the foamy, grayish coffee. The waitress had heard and shot Ron a nasty look as she shuffled to take the new customer's orders. The larger of the two workmen, who was blond and quite huge, waved her away. Arabella watched them from the corner of her eye.

'Let's get going, then, I don't want to drink this muck,' said Ron.

'Yes, I took out all my Building Society savings before I came to Grimmauld Place. I'll bet all the change is at the bottom,' sighed Hermione, reaching for her beaded bag.

The two workmen mad identical movements and Arabella did the same without thinking about it. All three of them drew their wands. Ron, a few seconds late in realizing what was going on, lunged across the table, pushing Hermione sideways onto the bench. The force of the Death Eater's spells shattered the tiled wall where Ron's head had just been, as invisible Harry yelled, 'Stupefy!'

The blond Death Eater was hit in the face by a jet of red light as Arabella sent a Stunning Spell at his companion, who she recognized immediately as Dolohov. The spell missed, rebounded on the window and hit the waitress, who collapsed in front of the door.

Dolohov fired his wand at Ron and shining black ropes flew from his wand-tip and bound Ron head to foot. Ron struggled against the ropes that tightened at each movement.

'Expulso!' bellowed Dolohov and the table behind Arabella blew up. The force of the explosion slammed her forward, tripping over Ron and she heard something – or someone – crashing against the wall.

Dolohov then made a sudden slashing movement with his wand and a purple flame erupted from his wand just as Arabella yelled, 'Protego!'

The feeling of a blunt knife streaked across her face, but the force of it knocked her back a little bit more just as she was getting up and broke the Shield Charm.

'Petrificus Totalus!' screamed Hermione from out of sight, but it skidded by Dolohov. It was the distraction Arabella needed.

With one hand on their table, Arabella grabbed the steaming cappuccino she hadn't taken a sip off, turned around and threw it at Dolohov's face. He howled in pain and she flung the cup at him, hitting his forehead, making him scream. The mug shattered onto the floor. Dolohov stumbled backwards and Arabella screamed, 'Petrificus Totalus!'

Dolohov fell forward like a statue to land on the floor with a crunching thud, with coffee liquid covering his face.

Hermione crawled out from underneath the bench, shaking glass ashtray out of her hair and trembling all over.

'D-diffindo,' she said, pointing her wand at Ron, who roared in pain as she slashed open the knee of his jeans, though not leaving a big cut. 'Oh, I'm so sorry, Ron, my hand's shaking! Diffindo!'

The severed ropes fell away. Ron got to his feet, shaking his arms to regain the feeling in them. Harry, no longer invisible, picked up his wand and went to where the large blond Death Eater was sprawled across the bench.

'I should've recognized him, he was there the night Dumbledore died,' he said.

Arabella turned to Dolohov, who was glaring at her.

'That's Dolohov,' said Ron. 'I recognize him from the old wanted posters. I think the big one's Thorfinn Rowle.'

'Never mind what they're called!' said Hermione a little hysterically. 'How did they find us? What are we going to do?'

'Lock the door,' Harry told her, 'and Ron, turn out the lights.'

Arabella glanced back at Dolohov as the lock clicked and Ron used the Deluminator to cause the café to turn dark.

'What are we going to do with them?' Ron whispered to Harry through the dark. 'Kill them?'

'They'd kill us,' whispered Arabella, turning to where Dolohov is lying on the ground. 'They just had a good chance to do so.'

Hermione shuddered and took a step backward. Harry shook his head.

'We just need to wipe their memories,' said Harry. 'It's better like that, it'll throw them off the scent. If we killed them it'd be obvious we were here.'

'You're the boss,' said Ron, sounding relieved. 'But I've never done a Memory Charm.'

'First time for everything,' said Arabella. 'I'll do Dolohov.'

'I'll get the other one,' said Hermione. 'I haven't done it, but I know the theory.'

Hermione pointed her wand at Rowle's forehead and said, 'Obliviate.'

Arabella did the same to Dolohov, pointing her wand at his forehead and muttered, 'Obliviate.' At once, his eyes became unfocused and dreamy.

'Brilliant!' said Harry. 'Hermione, take care of the waitress while Ron, Arabella and I clear up.'

'Clear up?' said Ron, looking around at the partly destroyed café. 'Why?'

'Don't you think they might wonder what's happened if they wake up and find themselves in a place that looks like it's just been bombed?'

'Oh right, yeah…'

Ron struggled for a moment before managing to extract his wand from his pocket.

'It's no wonder I can't get it out, Hermione, you packed my old jeans, they're tight.'

'Oh, I'm so sorry,' hissed Hermione and she muttered a suggestion as to where Ron could stick his wand instead.

Once the café was restored to its previous condition, they heaved the Death Eaters back into their booth and propped them up facing each other.

'But how did they find us?' Hermione asked, looking from one Death Eater to the other. 'How did they know where we were?'

She turned to Harry.

'You – you don't think you've still got your trace on you, do you, Harry?'

'He can't have,' said Ron. 'The Trace breaks at seventeen, that's Wizarding law, you can't put it on an adult.'

'As far as you know,' said Hermione. 'What if the Death Eaters have found a way to put it on a seventeen year old?'

'Harry hasn't been near a Death Eater in the last twenty four hours,' said Arabella, shaking her head. 'Who's supposed to have put a Trace back on him?'

Hermione did not reply.

'If I can't use magic,' said Harry, 'and you can't use magic near me, without us giving away our position –'

'We need a safe place to hide,' said Ron. 'Give us time to think things through.'

Arabella thought about it for a moment before it came to her. The perfect place with Moody's protective spells mixed with Orion Black's.

'Grimmauld Place,' she said. 'It's the best option. There's a lot of protective spells covering that place.'

'But Snape can get in there!' said Ron.

'Snape can't get in – there's got spells against him and ones that were already there before that.'

'But –' began Hermione.

'Hermione, it's the best option we've got,' said Harry. 'Snape's only one Death Eater – and so what? I swear, I'd like nothing better than to meet Snape. If I've still got the Trace on me, we'll have whole crowds of them on us wherever else we go.'

Hermione could not argue, though she looked as if she would have liked to. While she unlocked the café door, Ron clicked the Deluminator to release the café's light. Then, on Harry's count of three, they reversed the spells upon the three victims, and before the waitress or either of the Death Eaters could do more then stir sleepily, Arabella, Harry, Ron and Hermione had turned on the spot and vanished into darkness.

Seconds later they were standing in the middle of a small and shabby square. They had rushed towards number twelve, that was only visible to them. The checked to make sure they were not being followed or observed, and raced up the stone steps.

Arabella tapped on the door twice and head a series of metallic clicks and the clatter of a chain. The door swung open with a creak and they hurried over the threshold.

She really should have told them about the new security measures in there. As she closed the door behind them, the lamps sprang to life along the hallway.

'So where are these jinxes they put up against Snape?' Harry asked.

'Um, you better let me go first,' said Arabella nervously.

They were all standing on the doormat, backs against the door. Arabella scarcely moved further into the house as she took one step forward.

'_Severus Snape_?'

Moody's voice whispered out of the darkness, making Harry, Ron and Hermione jump back in fright.

'We're not Snape!' Arabella called out as a whoosh of cold air swept over her. Her tongue curled backward on itself, making it impossible to speak, before unraveling again.

The others seemed to have experience the same unpleasant sensation. Ron made retching noises while Hermione stammered, 'That m-must have b-been the T-Tongue-Tying Curse Mad-Eye set up for Snape!'

Sighing, Arabella took another step forward. Something shifted in the shadows at the end of the hall and before any of them could say another word, a figure had rose up from the carpet, tall, dusted coloured and terrible. Hermione screamed and so did Walburga, her curtains flying open. The figure was gliding toward them, faster and faster, its waist-length hair and beard streaming behind it, it's face sunken, fleshless, with empty eye sockets and it raised an arm –

'We did not kill you, Dumbledore!' shouted Arabella.

On the word _kill_, the figure exploded in a cloud of dust. Coughing, Arabella turned around to see Harry coughing as well, his eyes watery, with Hermione crouched on the floor by the door with her arms over her head, and Ron, who was shaking from head to toe, patting her clumsily on the shoulder and saying, 'It's all r-right… It's g-gone…'

'Mudbloods, filth, stains of dishonor, taint of shame on the house of my fathers –'

'Shut up you miserable old bat!' Arabella yelled as she threw a curse at Walburga. With a burst of red sparks and a bang, the curtains swung shut again, silencing her.

'That was… that was…' Hermione whimpered, as Ron helped her to her feet.

'Yeah,' said Harry, 'but it wasn't really him, was it? Just something to scare Snape.'

Arabella led the others up the hall, knowing that nothing else was going to come after them, unless you counted on the mouse that was squeaking along the walls.

'Before we go any further, I think we'd better check,' whispered Hermione, and she raised her wand and said, 'Homenum revelio.'

Nothing happened.

'Well, you've just had a big shock,' said Ron kindly. 'What was that supposed to do?'

'It did what I meant it to do!' said Hermione rather crossly. 'That was a spell to reveal human presence, and there's nobody here except us!'

'Let's just go up,' mumbled Arabella and she led the way up the stairs to the drawing room on the first floor.

Arabella waved her wand to kindle the old lamps. Hermione, shivering slightly, perched on the sofa, her arms wrapped tightly around her. Ron crossed to the window and moved the velvet curtain aside an inch.

'Can't see anyone out there,' he reported. 'And you'd think, if Harry still had a Trace on him, they'd followed us here. I know they can't get in the house, but – what's up, Harry?'

Harry had given a cry of pain. Arabella was standing next to him. She held on to his arm, as his face shrivelled in pain.

'What did you see?' Ron asked, advancing on Harry. 'Did you see him at my place?'

'No, I just felt anger – he's really angry –'

'But that could be at the Burrow,' said Ron loudly. 'What else? Didn't you see anything? Was he cursing someone?'

'No, I just felt anger – I couldn't tell –'

'Your scar, again?' said Hermione in a frightened voice. 'But what's going on? I thought that connection had closed!'

'It did, for a while,' muttered Harry. 'I – I think it's started opening again whenever he loses control, that's how it used to –'

'But then you've got to close your mind!' said Hermione shrilly. 'Harry, Dumbledore didn't want you to use that connection, he wanted you to shut it down, that's why you were supposed to use Occlumency! Otherwise Voldemort can plant false images in your mind, remember –'

'Yeah, I do remember, thank,' said Harry through gritted teeth.

He had wrenched his arm away from Arabella and turned to examine the old tapestry of the Black family tree on the wall. Scowling, Arabella walked to the window, about to open a bit of it when Hermione shrieked. A silver Patronus soared through the window, through Arabella, and landed upon the floor in front of them, where it took the shape of a weasel that spoke with the voice of Mr Weasley.

'_Family safe, so not reply, we are being watched._'

The Patronus dissolved. Ron let out a noise between a whimper and a groan and dropped onto the sofa. Hermione joined him, gripping his arm.

'They're all right, they're all right!' she whispered, and Ron half laughed and hugged her.

'Harry,' he said over Hermione's shoulder, 'I –'

'It's not a problem,' said Harry. 'It's your family, 'course you're worried, I'd feel the same way. I _do _feel the same way.'

'We shouldn't sleep alone tonight,' said Arabella, faintly smiling. 'We could use the beds from the other rooms and sleep here tonight?'

'Yeah,' said Ron as he and Hermione nodded.

'Bathroom,' Harry muttered and he left the room quickly without running.

Arabella and Ron had gathered up the two beds from the room where Harry and Ron had used a couple summers ago. They had grabbed a couple sheets from the closet and returned back to the drawing room. Hermione had taken out their pajamas and toothbrushes and helped set up the beds.

'I'd better go give Harry this,' she mumbled and left the door to go to the washroom.

Arabella had left the room as well and went to hers to change.

It felt as though someone had been in there. The room was messier than normal. Arabella tried to suppress her suspicious feelings as she left her room. She probably just forgot how messy her room was.

**Thank you for reading! Finally, some action! **


	7. Kreacher's Tale

**disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, just Arabella. Hope you like it!**

Kreacher's Tale

Arabella woke up early next morning, wrapped in a dark blanket on the drawing room floor. There were bits of sunlight coming through the heavy curtain and everything was quiet except for the slow breathing in the room.

Arabella yawned, stretching where she was lying down and looked over at Hermione, Ron and Harry –

Harry. Where's Harry?

Arabella scrambled up in a fit and nearly tripped over her sheets. What if he did something stupid like walk out of the house and turned himself in?

'Ron,' said Arabella, shaking the sleeping figure. 'Ron! Wake up! Harry's gone! Hermione, wake up!'

She shook them both, each grumbling in discomfort before sitting up.

'What's wrong now?' said Ron, yawning.

'Harry's gone!'

They were both alert now.

'Gone? What do you mean gone?' asked Hermione, nearly hysterical.

'Gone as in he wasn't here when I woke up,' said Arabella.

The three of them looked at each other before running out of the room and searing for him. Ron went to the kitchen, Hermione to the lower level and Arabella up to level of the bedrooms. Entering each room, Arabella got the feeling that something was very wrong. It seemed as though someone else had been in there.

'Harry? Harry! _Harry_!'

Arabella ran towards Sirius's room and burst inside, huffing and panting. Harry was sitting on the bed, slightly shocked at the force of Arabella bursting into the room.

She turned and shouted over her shoulder, 'I've found him!'

Ron's annoyed voice echoed from several floors below.

'Good! Tell him from me he's a git!'

'You are a git, you know that right?' said Arabella, standing against the wall, trying to catch her breath. 'At least write a note or wake us up or – what did you do to this place?'

Arabella looked around the floor distastefully. Bits of paper, books, and small objects were scattered over the carpet. It looked as though the room had been searched and Arabella wasn't feeling paranoid. Someone has been in her house.

'I did do this – look at what I've just found.

He held out a piece of crumpled paper for her to read.

_Dear Padfoot, _

_Thank you, thank you, for Harry's birthday present! Give my thanks to Kas as well. It was his favourite by far. One year old and already zooming along on a toy broomstick, he looked so pleased with himself, I'm enclosing a picture so you can see. You know it only rises about two feet off the ground, but he nearly killed the cat and he smashed a horrible vase Petunia sent me for Christmas (no complain there). Of course, James thought it was so funny, says he's going to be a great Quidditch player, but we've had to pack away all the ornaments and make sure we don't take our eyes off him when he gets going. _

_We had a very quiet birthday tea, just us and old Bathilda, who had always been sweet to us and who dotes on Harry. We were so sorry you and Kas couldn't come, but the Order's got to come first and I know Kas isn't allowed to. And anyway, Harry's not old enough to know it's his birthday! James is getting a bit frustrated shut up here (I finally understand what you mean about Kas). He tries not to show it but I can tell – also, Dumbledore's still got his Invisibility Cloak, so no chance of little excursions. If you could visit, or if you could drop Arabella over, it could cheer him up so much. You're only on the other side of the Hollow. Wormy was here last weekend, I thought he seemed down, but that was probably the news about the McKinnons, I cried all evening when I heard. _

_Bathilda drops in most days, she's a fascinating old time with the most amazing stories about Dumbledore, I'm not sure he'd be pleased if he knew! I don't know how much to believe, actually, because it seemed incredible that Dumbledore _

Arabella reread the letter again, smiling at each word that proved Lily Potter lived and her warm words regarding her son, Harry.

'Harry…'

'And there's this too.'

He handed her what looked like a torn picture. In the photograph was a black-haired baby zooming in and out of the picture on a tiny broom, roaring with laughter, and a pair of legs that must have belong to James Potter was chasing after him.

'I've been looking for the rest of the letter,' Harry said, 'but it's not here.'

Arabella looked around the room again. 'Someone was here. Thing is, what were they after?'

'Information on the Order, if it was Snape.'

'Can't be, he was in the Order. He would have all that he needed.'

'Well then,' said Harry, 'what about information on Dumbledore? The second page of this letter, for instance. You know this Bathilda my mum mention, you know who she is?'

'Bathilda Bagshot, the author of A History of Magic?' asked Arabella, looking a little shocked and impressed. 'Your parents knew her?'

'She's still alive,' said Harry, 'and she lives in Godric's Hollow, Ron's Auntie Muriel was talking about her at the wedding. She knew Dumbledore's family too. Be pretty interesting to talk to, wouldn't she?'

Arabella smiled at him, trying not to be pitiful when she did so. But it seemed as though Harry was thinking the same thing she was. He took back the letter and the photograph and tucked them inside a pouch that was around his neck.

'I understand why you would like to talk to her about your mum, you dad, and Dumbledore,' said Arabella gently. 'But it's not going to help us in the search for the Horcruxes, and I know you really want to go to Godric's Hollow, it's just not safe for us right now. You can always go and visit Bathilda after all of this is over.'

'It's not just that,' said Harry, not looking at her. 'Muriel sad stuff about Dumbledore at the wedding. I want to know the truth. He had a sister named Ariana, who was apparently locked in a cellar for years because she was a Squib, while Dumbledore was off at Hogwarts. She never left the house, never was taken to St. Mungo's and she had bad health. Dumbledore and his brother had a fight during her funeral with the Aberforth – the brother – saying that it was all Dumbledore's fault, and he didn't even bother to fight back. Apparently Bathilda has been talking to Rita Skeeter and I'm not upset,' he added, finally looking at Arabella. 'I'd just like to how whether or not it's true or –'

'So you think hearing this from someone like Muriel – who seems as batty as Walburga – or Rita Skeeter is the truth?' asked Arabella. 'How can you believe _them_? You knew Dumbledore.'

'I thought I did,' he muttered.

'Harry, we all know the truth behind Rita Skeeter's writing, hardly any at all. You shouldn't let people like her and Muriel ruin your memories of Dumbledore.'

Harry looked away from her again and Arabella wanted to throw the ancient looking lamp on the bedside table across the room and make it shatter on the wall. She decided to take the polite approach instead, though she has been frustrated with Harry since his birthday.

'Why don't we go down and get some breakfast?' Arabella suggested, sighing.

Harry nodded and followed her out into the hallway, past a second door with scratches on it. Just as Arabella was about to step down, Harry grabbed her arm, halting her movements.

'What is it? What's wrong?'

'RAB, I think I've found him.'

'What?' gasped Arabella, eyes widening. 'Where?'

Harry pointed at the door with the scratches. There was a little sign on it with neat letters stuck on the door:

_Do Not Enter_

_Without the Express Permission of_

_Regulus Arcturus Black_

'You've lived her for how long and did not notice that?' Harry asked, more than slightly annoyed at her.

'It's not like I explored this house,' said Arabella, scowling at him. 'Have you seen this place? There is a wall dedicated to the heads of house-elves. And besides, I was drunk a lot of the time, so exploring and remembering wasn't on the top of my list.'

They both turned back to the sign, trying to move past their annoyances at each other.

'He was a Death Eater,' said Arabella. 'He was young – like Malfoy – got cold feet and tried to leave. It's a life time or death – they must have killed him.'

'It fits,' said Harry. 'If he was a Death Eater he had access to Voldemort, and if he understood what was really going on – the deaths, the murders – he would have wanted to bring Voldemort down.'

They looked at each other for a moment before leaning over the handrail, and screamed, together, 'Ron! Hermione! Get up here, now!'

Hermione and Ron appeared a minute later, wands at the ready in their hands.

'What's up?' asked Ron, alert. 'If it's massive spiders I want breakfast before –'

They both frowned at the sign Harry and Arabella were pointing at.

'What?' asked Ron. 'That was Sirius's brother, wasn't it? Regulus Arcturus… Regulus …'

'RAB!' gasped Hermione. 'Sirius's brother? The locket – you don't' –'

'Let's find out,' said Harry. He pushed the door. It was unlocked and it swung open.

They moved over the threshold together, gazing around. Regulus's room was slightly smaller than Sirius's, but completely different from each other. While Sirius had gone the distance to differentiate himself from the family, Regulus did the opposite. The room was draped in Slytherin colours – the bed, the walls, and the windows. The Black family crest was carefully printed over the bed, along with its motto, _Toujours Pur. _Beneath this was a collection of yellow newspaper cutting, all stuck to make a large collage. Hermione crossed the room to examine them.

'Don't bother,' said Arabella. 'They're all about Voldemort.'

Still, Hermione sat on the bedcovers to read the clippings while Harry examined a photo. Ron was searching under the wardrobe while Arabella looked under the bed.

'He played Seeker,' said Harry.

'What?' asked Hermione vaguely, she was immersed in Voldemort's clippings.

'He's sitting in the middle of the front row, that's where the Seeker… never mind.'

'Where?' asked Arabella, slightly curious to see how her uncle looked. He pointed at the picture.

The Slytherin Quidditch team was smiling and waving at her. In the middle of the front row sat Regulus Black. He had the same dark hair as Sirius and a slightly arrogant look that came along with being a Black. He was slightly smaller and less handsome than Sirius, but they all had the same grey eyes.

'Interesting,' Arabella muttered to herself before looking away. She and Harry looked though the desk, but found that someone else searched before them as the contents of the drawers had been turned over and spilled on the floor.

'There's an easier way,' said Hermione. She raised her wand and said, 'Accio Locket!'

Nothing happened. Ron, who had been searching the folds of the curtains, looking disappointed.

'Is that it, then? It's not here?'

'Oh, it could still be here, but under counter-enchantments,' said Hermione. 'Charms to prevent it being summoned magically, you know.'

'Like Voldemort put on the stone basin in the cave,' said Harry.

'How are we supposed to find it then?' asked Ron.

'We search manually,' said Hermione.

'That's a great idea,' said Ron, rolling his eyes, and he resumed his examination of the curtains.

The searched every inch of the room for more than an hour, but were forced to conclude that the locket was not there.

'It could be somewhere else in the house, though,' said Hermione in a rallying tone as they walked back downstairs. As Arabella, Harry and Ron became more discouraged, she seemed to have become more determined. 'Whether he'd managed to destroyed it or not, he'd want to keep it hidden from Voldemort, wouldn't he? Remember all those awful things we had to get rid of when we were here? That clock that shot bolts at everyone and those old robes that tried to strange Ron. Regulus might have put them there to protect the locket's hiding place, even though we didn't realize it at… at…'

They all looked at her. She was standing with one foot on midair, with the dumbstruck look.

'… at the time,' she finished in a whisper.

'Something wrong?' asked Ron.

'There was a locket.'

'What?' the three of them said together.

'In the cabinet in the drawing room. Nobody could open it. And we… we…'

Arabella felt sickened. She remembered it; she even held it as they tried to force it open. It was tossed into a sack of rubbish…

'Kreacher nicked loads of things back from us,' said Harry. 'He had a whole stash of stuff in his cupboard in the kitchen. C'mon.'

He ran down the stair two at a time with Ron and Hermione along his wake. Arabella rolled her eyes but followed. Mundungus was in this house, he searched every inch of this for anything valuable. The locket was expensive, antique, and gold. He probably took it. Arabella still wanted to strangle him, but that can wait. There was an easier way to do this, honestly. And they made so much noise that Walburga woke up.

'Filth! Mudbloods! Scum!' she screamed after them.

Arabella closed the basement kitchen door, silencing her. They were all searching Kreacher's cupboard, resulting in nothing. Ron groaned as he threw himself into a kitchen chair while Hermione closed her eyes. Harry held up a blanket, looking disbelieved.

'There is an easier way, you know,' said Arabella, and she raised her voice, almost replicating Walburga, 'KREACHER!'

There was a loud _crack_ and the house-elf Arabella had inherited from the family appeared out of nowhere in front of the empty fireplace.

'Mistress,' croaked Kreacher in his filthy rags as he gave her a low bow, muttering to her knees, 'back in my Mistress's old house with the blood-traitors, Mudblood –'

'You are not allowed to use that word anymore Kreacher,' snapped Arabella. Never in a thousand years would she ever feel anything but hatred towards the thing that betrayed Sirius to Voldemort. 'We've got a question for you and you have to answer it truthfully, got it?'

'Yes, Mistress,' said Kreacher, bowing low again.

'Harry.'

'Two years ago,' said Harry, 'there was a big gold locket in the drawing room upstairs. We threw it out. Did you steal it back?'

There was a moment's silence, during which Kreacher straightened up to look Harry full in the face. Then he said, 'Yes.'

'Where is it now?' asked Harry ecstatically as Arabella, Ron and Hermione looked gleeful.

Kreacher closed his eyes as though he could not bear to see their reactions to his next word.

'Gone.'

'Gone?' echoed Harry. 'Who do you mean, it's gone?'

Kreacher shivered and swayed.

'Kreacher,' said Arabella hotly. 'I'm warning you –'

'Mundungus Fletcher,' croaked the elf. 'Mundungus Fletcher stole it all: Miss Bella's and Miss Cissy's pictures, my Mistress's gloves, the Order of Merlin, First Class, the goblets with the family crest, and –and –'

Kreacher was gulping for air. His chest was rising and falling rapidly, then his eyes flew open and he uttered a terrifying scream.

' – _and the locket, Master Regulus's locket, Kreacher did wrong, Kreacher failed in his orders_!'

As Kreacher lunged for the poker standing in the grate, Harry launched himself upon the elf, flattening him. Hermione's screams mingled with Kreacher's, but Arabella bellowed louder than both of them: 'Kreacher, stay still! I order you to stay still!'

Harry released Kreacher, who lay flat on the cold, stone floor, tears gushing from his eyes.

'Arabella, let him up!' Hermione whispered.

'So he can beat himself with the poker?' snorted Harry. 'Right, Kreacher, I want the truth: How did you know Mundungus Fletcher stole the locket?'

'Kreacher saw him!' gasped the elf. 'Kreacher saw him coming out of Kreacher's cupboard with his hands full of Kreacher's treasures. Kreacher told the sneak thief to stop, but Mundungus Fletcher laughed and r-ran…'

'You called the locket 'Master Regulus's',' said Harry. 'Why? Where did it come from? What did Regulus have to do with it? Kreacher, sit up and tell me everything you know about the locket, and everything Regulus had to do with it!'

The elf sat up, curled into a ball, placed his wet face between his knees, and began to rock backward and forward. When his spoke, his voice was muffled, but distinct in the silent kitchen.

'Master Sirius ran away, good riddance, for he was a bad boy and broke my Mistress's heart with his lawless ways. But Master Regulus had proper pride. He knew what was due to the name of Black and the dignity of his pure blood. For years he talked of the Dark Lord, who was going to bring the wizards out of hiding to rule the Muggles and the Muggle-borns… and when he was sixteen years old, Master Regulus joined the Dark Lord. So proud, so happy to serve…

'And one day, a year after he had joined, Master Regulus came down to the kitchen to see Kreacher. Master Regulus always liked Kreacher. And Master Regulus said… he said…'

He rocked faster than ever.

'… he said that the Dark Lord required an elf.'

'Voldemort needed an elf?' Harry repeated, looking around at the other, who looked just as puzzled as he did.

'Oh yes,' moaned Kreacher. 'And Master Regulus had volunteered Kreacher. It was an honour, said Master Regulus, an honour for and for Kreacher, who must be sure to do whatever the Dark Lord ordered him to do… and them to c-come home.'

Kreacher rocked back and forth faster, his breath coming in sobs.

'So Kreacher went to the Dark Lord. The Dark Lord did not tell Kreacher what they were to do, but took Kreacher with him to a cave beside the sea. And beyond the cave was a cavern, and in the cavern was a great black lake… there was a boat… there was a b-basin full of potion on the island. The D-Dark Lord made Kreacher drink it…'

He shook from head to foot.

'Kreacher drank, and as he drank, he saw terrible things… Kreacher's insides burned… Kreacher cried for Master Regulus to save him, he cried for his Mistress Black, but the Dark Lord only laughed… He made Kreacher drink all the potion… He dropped a locket into the empty basin… He filled it with more potion… And then the Dark Lord sailed away, leaving Kreacher on the island…

'Kreacher needed water, he crawled to the island's edge and he drank from the black lake… and hands, dead hands, came out of the water and dragged Kreacher under the surface…'

'How did you get away?' Harry whispered.

'Kreacher raised his head and looked at Harry.

'Master Regulus told Kreacher to come back,' he said.

'I know – but how did you escape the Inferi?'

'Master Regulus told Kreacher to come back.'

'I know, but –'

'Well, it's obvious, isn't it, Harry?' said Ron. 'He Disapparated!'

'But… you couldn't Apparate in and out of that cave,' said Harry, 'otherwise Dumbledore –'

'Elf magic isn't like wizard's magic, is it?' said Ron. 'I mean, they can Apparate and Disapparate in and out of Hogwarts when we can't.'

'Of course,' said Hermione, her voice icy, 'Voldemort would have considered the ways of house-elves far beneath his notice, just like all the purebloods who treat them like animals… It would never have occurred to him that they might have magic that he didn't.'

'The house-elf's highest law is his Master's bidding,' chanted Kreacher. 'Kreacher was told to come home, so Kreacher came home…'

'Well, then you did what you were told, didn't you?' said Hermione kindly. 'You didn't disobey orders at all.'

Kreacher shook his head, rocking as fast as ever.

'So what happened when you got back?' Harry asked. 'What did Regulus say when you told him what happened?'

'Master Regulus was very worried, very worried,' croaked Kreacher. 'Master Regulus told Kreacher to stay hidden and not to leave the house. And then… it was a little while later… Master Regulus came to find Kreacher in his cupboard one night, and Master Regulus was strange, not as he usually was, disturbed in his mind, Kreacher could tell… and he asked Kreacher to take him to the cave, the cave where Kreacher had gone with the Dark Lord…'

'And he made you drink the potion?' said Harry, disgusted.

But Kreacher shook his head and wept. Hermione's hands leapt to her mouth. She seemed to have understood something.

'M-Master Regulus took from his pocket a locket like the one the Dark Lord had,' said Kreacher, tears pouring down either side of his snout like nose. 'And he told Kreacher to take it and, when the basin was empty, to switch the lockets…'

Kreacher's sobs came in great rasps now.

'And he ordered – Kreacher to leave – without him. And he told Kreacher – to go home – and never tell my Mistress – what he had done – but to destroy – the first locket. And he drank – all the potion – and Kreacher swapped the lockets – and watched… as Master Regulus… was dragged beneath the water… and…'

'Oh, Kreacher!' wailed Hermione, who was crying. She dropped to her knees beside the elf and tried to hug him. At once he was on his feet, cringing away from her, quite obviously repulsed.

'The Mudblood touched Kreacher, he will not allow it, what would his Mistress say?'

'Don't call her 'Mudblood',' snapped Arabella, though her voice was cracking up.

Kreacher was punishing himself as he fell to the ground and banged his forehead on the floor.

'Stop! Kreacher, stop!' shouted Arabella.

The elf lay on the floor, panting and shivering with a bruise already forming on his forehead. His eyes were swollen and bloodshot with tears. There was nothing more pitiful than this moment.

'So you brought the locket home,' Harry said relentlessly, seeming to want the whole story. 'And you tried to destroy it?'

'Nothing Kreacher did made any mark upon it,' moaned the elf. 'Kreacher tried everything, everything he knew, but nothing, nothing would work... So many powerful spells upon the casing, Kreacher was sure the way to destroy it was to get inside it, but it would not open... Kreacher punished himself, he tried again, he punished himself, he tried again. Kreacher failed to obey orders, Kreacher could not destroy the locket! And his Mistress was mad with grief, because Master Regulus had disappeared, and Kreacher could not tell her what had happened, no, because Master Regulus had f-f-forbidden him to tell any of the f-f-family what happened in the c-cave…'

Kreacher began to sob so hard that there was no more coherent words. Tears flowed down Hermione's check as she watched Kreacher, but she did not dare touch him again. Even Ron, who was not a fan of Kreacher's, looked troubled.

'I don't understand you, Kreacher,' Harry said finally, shaking his head. 'Voldemort tried to kill you, Regulus died to bring Voldemort down, but you were still happy to betray Sirius to Voldemort? You were happy to go to Narcissa and Bellatrix and pass information to Voldemort through them…'

'Harry Kreacher doesn't think like that,' said Hermione, wiping her eyes on the back of her hand. 'He's a slave. House-elves are used to bad, even brutal treatments. What Voldemort did to Kreacher wasn't that far out of the common way. What do wizard wars mean to an elf like Kreacher? He's loyal to people who are kind to him, and Mrs. Black must have been, and Regulus certainly was, so he served them willingly and parroted their beliefs. I know what you're going to say,' she went on as Harry began to protest, 'that Regulus changed his mind… but he doesn't seem to have explained that to Kreacher, does he? And I think I know why. Kreacher and Regulus's family were all safer if they kept to the old pure-blood line. Regulus was trying to protect them all.'

'Sirius —'

'Sirius was horrible to Kreacher, Harry, and it's no good looking like that, you know it's true. Kreacher had been alone for a long time when Sirius came to live here, and he was probably starving for a bit of affection. I'm sure 'Miss Cissy' and 'Miss Bella' were perfectly lovely to Kreacher when he turned up, so he did them a favor and told them everything they wanted to know. I've said all along that wizards would pay for how they treat house-elves. Well, Voldemort did… and so did Sirius.'

Harry did not retort.

Arabella watched Kreacher sobbing on the floor as Hermione's words sunk it.

'Kreacher,' said Harry after a while, 'when you feel up to it, er… please sit up.'

It was several minutes before Kreacher hiccupped himself into silence. Then he pushed himself into a sitting position again, rubbing his knuckles into his eyes.

'Kreacher, I am going to ask you to do something,' said Harry. 'Kreacher, I want you, please, to go and find Mundungus Fletcher. We need to find out where the locket — where Master Regulus's locket is. It's really important. We want to finish the work Master Regulus started, we want to — er — ensure that he didn't die in vain.'

Kreacher dropped his fists and looked up at Harry.

'Find Mundungus Fletcher?' he croaked.

'And bring him here, to Grimmauld Place,' said Harry. 'Do you think you could do that for us?'

Kreacher nodded and got to his feet, Harry mirroring him. He walked to Arabella and pressed something in her hands.

'I think it would mean more if it came from you,' he whispered to her so that the others wouldn't hear. Arabella looked down and saw the fake Horcrux in her palm, the substitute locket which Regulus had placed the note to Voldemort. It would mean more if it came from a Black.

'Er – Kreacher,' said Arabella, uncertain as she took a step forward. Hermione smiled encouragingly at her. 'I think – we think you should have this.' She held the locket in front of him. 'This belong to Master – I mean – Uncle Regulus' – that word seemed to foreign to her when addressing that side of the family–'and I'm sure that he was very happy and proud for what you've done, and this had been passed on for many generations and I can't find someone more deserving of –'

'Overkill, mate,' said Ron as Kreacher took one look at the locket, let out a howl of shock and misery, and threw himself back onto the ground.

It took them nearly half an hour to calm down Kreacher, who was so overcome to be present with a Black family heirloom for his very own that he was too weak at the knees to stand properly. When finally he was able to totter a few steps they all accompanied him to his cupboard, watched him tuck up the locket safely in his dirty blankets, and assured him that they would make its protection their first priority while he was away. He then made three low bows to Arabella, Harry and Ron, and even gave a funny little spasm in Hermione's direction that might have been an attempt at a respectful salute, before Disapparating with the usual loud _crack_.

**Thank you for reading! And an extra thank you to Detective Marx :D **

**To all of you that want more Arabella/Harry: I'm trying. There's not a lot to work with and I want those moments to be special, with a little bickering in between. I also have a big moment between them somewhere in the middle-ish of this story ;)**


	8. The Bribe

**disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, just Arabella. Small note: I won't be updating in two weeks, I'm going out of the country for vacation. I don't know if I'll be able to find internet connection, and even if I do, I doubt my mom will let me used the computer. Anyways, I leave you all with this and hope you like it! I will see you all in two weeks time!**

The Bribe

Kreacher did not return the following day or the day after that. Arabella was feeling anxious for his return as her feeling towards him was better than before, but there was also the appearance of two cloaked men just outside in the square. They were gazing intently at the house, but couldn't actually see it.

The presence of the Death Eaters did not help with the gloomy mood inside the house. They had not heard a word from anyone beyond Grimmauld Place since Mr Weasley's Patronus, and the strain was starting to show.

Ron had picked up an annoying habit of playing with the Deluminator, which infuriated Hermione, who was studying her copy of The Tales of Beedle the Bard. She did not appreciate the way the lights kept flashing on and off.

On the third evening of Kreacher's absence, Arabella was in the kitchen trying to make a chocolate cake. She had been mixing the batter for the past ten minutes, and this should really do by now. The kitchen was stocked and she needed to do something.

The door to the kitchen open and Harry walked in.

'Are they bickering again?' Arabella asked. She tasted the batter and smiled. 'Oh, this is good.'

'Why are you baking?' asked Harry, leaning against the counter. 'Of all things, baking?'

'Well, I used to bake a lot with Andromeda before I went to Hogwarts,' said Arabella, shrugging. 'She used to do it whenever she was stressed and she really got stressed when Nymph was doing her Auror trainings. The best cake she ever made was this triple layered chocolate cake with chocolate frosting. When you take a bite of it, it's as though you were in heaven, except with all the nasty dying part.'

Arabella tasted the mixing again, nibbling on some from the wooden spoon.

'What some?' she asked, gesturing towards the spoon.

Harry hesitated for a moment before moving closer and tasting a bit of it.

'Oh, that's good,' said Harry, nodding as he stared into the batter bowl longingly.

Arabella laughed.

'What?' said Harry.

'You've…' started Arabella, smiling at him. 'You've got some… here.'

She stepped forward an inch and gently, with her thumb, wiped the bit of chocolate batter from his bottom lip. They kept looking at each other and it was a long while before somebody spoke.

'Just a bit of batter,' said Arabella nervously. 'That's all.'

'Er… right,' said Harry, nodding as he scratched the back of his head, looking away.

Arabella looked away as well, feeling cold all of a sudden. 'Yeah, I, um, thought that some cake would be better than the molding bread we all considered having the other day. The bottom might burn a little, considering how ancient that –'

_'Severus Snape_?'

Every single nerve in Arabella's body woke up. She and Harry pulled out their wands, running up the stairs to the front hallway to see a gray cloud standing in front of a figure that was hard to make out.

Harry pointed his wand into the middle of it.

'Don't move!'

At the sound of his yell, the curtains to Walburga flew open and she began to scream, 'Mudbloods and filth dishonoring my house –'

Ron and Hermione came crashing down the stairs with their wands pointed that the unknown person standing with his arms raised.

'Hold your fire, it's me, Remus!'

'Oh, thank goodness,' said Hermione weakly, pointing her wand at Walburga instead. With a bang, the curtains were closed and silence fell. Ron too lowered his wand, but Harry and Arabella did not.

'Show yourself!' Harry called back.

Remus moved forward into the lamplight, hands still held high in gesture of surrender.

'I am Remus John Lupin, werewolf, sometimes known as Moony, one of the four creators of the Marauder's Map, married to Nymphadora Tonks, usually known as Tonks, and I taught you how to produce a Patronus, Harry, which takes the form of a stag.'

'Oh, all right,' said Harry, as he and Arabella lowered their wands, 'but I had to check, didn't I?'

'Speaking as your ex-Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, I quite agree that you had to check. Ron, Hermione, you shouldn't be quick to lower your defenses.'

Wrapped in a thick black traveling cloak, he looked exhausted, but pleased to see them.

'No sign of Severus, then?' he asked.

'No,' said Harry. 'What's going on? Is everything okay?'

'Yes,' said Remus, 'but we're all being watched. There are a couple of Death Eaters in the square outside –'

'We know –'

'I had to Apparate very precisely onto the top step outside the front door to be sure that they would not see me. They can't know you're in there or I'm sure that they'd have more people out there. They're staking out everywhere that's got any connection with you, Harry. Let's go downstairs, there's a lot to tell you, and I want to know what happened after you left the Burrow.'

The descended into the kitchen, where Arabella gave him a light kiss on the cheek before settling herself beside Harry, opposite to Remus, Hermione and Ron. Hermione pointed her wand at the grate and a fire sprang to life instantly. Remus pulled a few butterbeers from beneath this traveling cloak and they drank for a bit, letting the warm liquid settle down.

'I'd have been here three days ago but I needed to shake off the Death Eater trailing me,' said Remus. 'So, you came straight here after the wedding?'

'No,' said Harry, 'only after we ran into a couple of Death Eaters in a café on Tottenham Court Road.'

Remus spilled most of his butterbeer down his front.

'_What_?'

They explained what had happened. When they finished, Remus looked shocked.

'But how did they find you so quickly? It's impossible to track anyone who Apparates, unless you grab hold of them as they disappear!'

'And it doesn't seem likely they were just strolling down Tottenham Court Road at the time, does it?' said Harry.

'Impossible,' said Remus. 'Apart from anything else, they'd know for sure Harry was here if he still had the Trace on him, wouldn't they? But I can't see how they could have tracked you to Tottenham Court Road, that's worrying, really worrying.'

He looked disturbed.

'Tell us what happened after we left,' said Harry. 'We haven't heard a thing since Ron's dad told us the family was safe.'

'Well, Kingsley saved us,' said Remus. 'Thanks to his warning most of the wedding guests were able to Disapparate before they arrived.'

'Were they Death Eaters or Ministry people?' interjected Hermione.

'A mixture, but to all intents and purposes they're the same thing now,' said Remus. 'There were about a dozen of them, but they didn't know you were there, Harry. Arthur heard a rumor that they tried to torture your whereabouts out of Scrimgeour before they killed him. If it's true, he didn't give you away.'

Arabella was a bit shocked, but felt a strange sense of gratitude towards Scrimgeour. She never liked him, but his final act was a brave act on his part to protect Harry.

'The Death Eaters searched the Burrow from top to bottom,' Remus went on. 'They found the ghoul, but didn't want to get too close – and then they interrogated those of us who remained for hours. They were trying to get information on you, Harry, but of course nobody apart from the Order knew that you had been there.

'At the same time that they were smashing up the wedding more Death eaters were forcing their way into every Order-connected house in the country. No deaths,' he added quickly, 'but they were rough. They burned down Dedalus Diggle's house, but as you know he wasn't there, and they used the Cruciatus Curse on Tonks's family – '

'_What_?' exclaimed Arabella, her fingernails digging into the wooden table. Her thoughts immediately went to Andy and Ted, twitching and rolling on the floor. Screaming and yelling for the torture to end with their faces shining with sweat.

'Andromeda and Ted are all right – shaken, obviously, but otherwise okay.'

This brought little comfort to Arabella.

'The Death Eaters got through all those protective charms?' Harry asked.

'What you've got to realize, Harry, is that the Death Eaters have got the full might of the Ministry on their side now,' said Remus. 'They've got the power to perform brutal spells without fear of identification or arrest. They managed to penetrate every defensive spell we'd cast against them, and once inside, they were completely open about why they'd come.'

'And are they bothering to give an excuse for torturing Harry's whereabouts out of people?' asked Hermione, an edge to her voice.

'Well,' said Remus. He hesitated, then pulled out a folded copy of the Daily Prophet.

'Here,' he said, unfolding it and pushing it across the table to Harry, 'you'll know sooner or later anyway. That's their pretext for going after you.'

In the middle of the table with a huge photograph of Harry's own face filling the whole thing. Harry read the headline over it:

_WANTED FOR QUESTIONING ABOUT _

_THE DEATH OF ALBUS DUMBLEDORE _

Arabella, Ron and Hermione gave roars of outrage, but Harry said nothing. He pushed the paper away.

'I'm sorry, Harry,' said Remus.

'So Death Eaters have taken over the Daily Prophet as well?' asked Arabella wrathfully.

Remus nodded.

'But people must be realizing what's going on?'

'The coup has been smooth and virtually silent,' said Remus. 'The official version of Scrimgeour's murder is that he resigned. He had been replaced by Pius Thicknesse, who is under the Imperius Curse.'

'Why didn't Voldemort declare himself Minister of Magic?' asked Ron.

Remus laughed.

'He doesn't need to, Ron. Effectively he _is_ the Minister, but why should be sit behind a desk at the Ministry? His puppet, Thicknesse, is taking care of everyday business, leaving Voldemort free to extend his power beyond the Ministry.

'Naturally many people have deduced what has happened: There had been such a dramatic change in Ministry policy in the last few days, and many are whispering that Voldemort must be behind it. However, that is the point: The whisper. They daren't confide in each other, not knowing whom to trust. They are scared to speak out, in case their suspicions are true and their families are targeted. Yes, Voldemort is playing a very clever game. Declaring himself might have provoked open rebellion: Remaining masked has created confusion, uncertainty, and fear.'

'And this dramatic change in Ministry policy,' said Harry, 'involves warning the Wizarding world against me instead of Voldemort?'

'That's certainly part of it,' said Remus, 'and it is a masterstroke. Now that Dumbledore is dead, you – the Boy Who Lived – were sure to be the symbol and rallying point for any resistance to Voldemort. But by suggesting that you had a hand in the old hero's death, Voldemort has not only set a price upon your head, but sown doubt and fear amongst many who would have defended you.

'Meanwhile, the Ministry has started moving against Muggle-borns.'

Remus pointed at the Daily Prophet.

'Look at page two.'

Hermione turned that pages with an expression of distaste and loathe.

''_Muggle-born Register','_ she read aloud. ''_The Ministry of Magic is undertaking a survey of so-called 'Muggle-borns,' the better to understand how they came to possess magical secrets. _

_''Recent research undertaken by the Department of Mysteries reveals that magic can only be passed from person to person when Wizards reproduce. Where no proven Wizarding ancestry exists, therefore, the so-called Muggle-borns is likely to have obtained magical power by theft or force. _

_''The Ministry is determined to root out such usurpers of magical power, and to this end has issued an invitation to every so-called Muggle-born to present themselves for interview by the newly appointed Muggle-born Registration Commission.''_

'People won't let this happen,' said Ron.

'It is happening, Ron,' said Remus. 'Muggle-borns are being rounded up as we speak.'

'But how are they supposed to have 'stolen' magic?' said Ron. 'It's mental, if you could steal magic there wouldn't be any Squibs, would there?'

'I know,' said Remus. 'Nevertheless, unless you can prove that you have at least one close Wizarding relative, you are now deemed to have obtained your magical power illegally and must suffer the punishment.'

Ron turned to Hermione, then said, 'What if purebloods and half-bloods swear a Muggle-born's part of their family? I'll tell everyone Hermione's my cousin –'

Hermione covered Ron's hand with hers and squeezed it.

'Thank you, Ron, but I couldn't let you –'

'You wouldn't have a choice,' said Ron fiercely, gripping her hand back. 'I'll teach you my family tree so you can answer questions on it.'

Hermione gave a shaky laugh.

'Ron, as we're in the run with Harry Potter, the most wanted person in the country, I don't think it matter. If I was going back to school it would be different. What's Voldemort planning for Hogwarts?' she asked Remus.

'Attendance is now compulsory for every young witch and wizard,' he replied. 'That was announced yesterday. It's a change, because it was never obligatory before. Of course, nearly every witch and wizard in Britain has been educated at Hogwarts, but their parents had the right to teach them at home or send them abroad if they preferred. This way, Voldemort will have the whole Wizarding population under his eye from a young age. And it's also another way of weeding out Muggle-borns, because students must be given Blood Status – meaning that they have proven to the Ministry that they are of Wizard descent – before they are allowed to attend.'

Arabella felt sick. There were many eleven year old out there right now not getting their Hogwarts letters and missing out on never seeing the place. Then there were the eleven year olds that were pouring over their spell books, admiring their wands, never knowing whether they would see Hogwarts or never see their parents again.

'It's… it's…' Harry muttered, struggling to find the right words.

'I know,' said Remus quietly. He hesitated for a moment. 'I'll understand if you can't confirm this, Harry, but the Order is under the impression that Dumbledore left you a mission.'

'He did,' Harry replied, 'and Arabella, Ron and Hermione are in on it and they're coming with me.'

'Can you confide in me what the mission is?'

'I can't, Remus, I'm sorry. If Dumbledore didn't tell you I don't think I can.'

'I thought you'd say that,' said Remus, looking disappointed. 'But I might still be of some use to you. You know what I am and what I can do. I could come with you to provide protection. There would be no need to tell me exactly what you were up to.'

Arabella was taken back.

'What about Nymph?' she asked.

'What about her?' said Remus.

Arabella's eyebrows rose.

''What about her?',' Arabella repeated slowly. 'Well, for one thing, you're married to her. How would she feel about you coming with us?'

'Tonks will be perfectly safe,' said Remus. 'She'll be at her parents' house.'

There was coldness to his voice that made Arabella frown at him. A woman like Nymph will not be happy to sit around while others are out there risking their lives. Andromeda and Ted would not like that as well.

'Remus,' said Hermione tentatively, 'is everything all right… you know… between you and –'

'Everything is fine, thank you,' said Remus pointedly.

Hermione turned pink. There was an awkward and embarrassed paused, and then Remus said, with an air of something unpleasant and admitting something he didn't want to, 'Tonks is going to have a baby.'

'Oh, how wonderful!' squealed Hermione.

'Excellent!' said Ron enthustially.

'Congratulations,' said Harry.

'Wow,' said Arabella, though she knew something was still off.

Remus tried to smile, which came out as a grimace, then said, 'So… do you accept my offer? Will four become five? I cannot believe that Dumbledore would have disapproved, he appointed me the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher after all. And I must admit tell you that I believe that we are facing magic many of us never encountered or imagined.

There was another pause.

'Just – just to be clear,' said Harry, clearing his throat. 'You want to leave Tonks at her parents' house and come away with us?'

'She'll be perfectly safe there, they'll look after her,' said Remus, indifferently. 'Harry, I'm sure James would have wanted me to stick with you.'

'Well,' said Harry slowly, 'I'm not. I'm pretty sure my father would have wanted to know why you aren't sticking with your own kid, actually.'

Remus's face drained of colour. Ron stared around the room as though he had been attempting to memorize it, while Hermione's eyes swiveled backward from Harry to Remus. Arabella stared shamelessly at Remus.

'You don't understand,' said Remus at last.

'Explain, then,' said Harry.

Remus swallowed.

'I – I made a grave mistake marrying Tonks. I did it against my own better judgement and I have regretted it very much ever since.'

'I see,' said Harry, 'so you're just going to dump her and the kid and run off with us?'

Remus sprang to his feet. His chair toppled over backward and he glared at Harry so fiercely that that there was a shadow of the wolf upon his face.

'Don't you understand what I've done to my wife and my unborn child? I should never have married her, I've made her an outcast!'

Remus kicked aside the chair he had overturned.

'You have only ever seen me amongst the Order, or under Dumbledore's protection at Hogwarts! You don't know how most of the Wizarding world sees creatures like me! When they know of my affliction, they can barely talk to me! Don't you see what I've done? Even her own family is disgusted by our marriage –'

'No, they're not,' said Arabella, shaking her head. Remus looked at her, as though realizing she was there for the first time. 'Andy and Ted are not disgusted by you. They've known you for so many years, they love you –'

'My kind don't breed!' Remus snapped at her. 'It will be like me, I am convinced of it – how can I forgive myself, when I knowingly risked passing on my own condition to an innocent child? And of, by some miracle, it is not like me, then it will be better off, a hundred time so, without a father of whom it must always be ashamed!'

'Ashamed?!' exclaimed Arabella, getting to her feel as well. There was a certain rage in her when she stood up.

Harry stood up as well beside Arabella, both glaring at Remus.

'If the new regime thinks Muggle-borns are bad,' Harry said, 'what will they do to a half-werewolf whose father's in the Order? My father died trying to protect my mother and me, and you reckon he'd tell you to abandon your kid to go on an adventure with us?'

'How – how dare you?' said Remus. 'This is not about a desire for – for danger or personal glory – how dare you suggest such a thing –'

'I think you're feeling a bit of a daredevil,' Harry said. 'You fancy stepping into Sirius's shoes –'

'It's nothing like that!' said Remus. 'How dare you suggest that I would –'

'I'd never have believed this,' Harry said. 'The man who taught me to fight Dementors – a coward.'

Remus drew his wand so fast that Harry barely had time to fish his out.

'Expelliarmus!' cried Arabella and Remus's wand flew into the air. She caught it with the tip of her finger, glaring at Remus the whole time. Remus looked surprised as she laid the wand quietly in front of him while Hermione and Ron looked between the two as though watching a tennis match. Harry held his wand in front of him, looking sourly at Remus.

'You are pathetic,' Arabella said quietly. 'You married my cousin, you married her in front of me, in front of Andy and Ted. You told her that you loved her and that you would always love and cherish her for the rest of your life. Did that mean so little to you?'

Arabella was shaking visibly as she stared at Remus, wanting so badly to scream, cry and bake a cake at the same time.

'You are a coward,' said Arabella, nodding. 'Harry's right you are a coward. And all those years you've been thinking that you were some sort of monster. Well, you're a monster as well as a coward, what can I say?'

'Arabella, no!' said Hermione, begging her. But Arabella continued to look at Remus's livid face.

'Not now, Hermione, I'm talking to me godfather, it's rude to interrupt,' said Arabella in a cold but yet collected voice. Her tone was directed at Remus, not Hermione. 'Only a monster and a coward could leave their family to fend for themselves. Only a monster and a coward would abandon their families like that.' She snorted. 'The person that raised me for sixteen years, the person who I defended my entire life, the person who I love more than anything else, the person who was my mum's best friend, the person my cousin married – look at you. My aunt would be turning in her grave with the way you turned out.'

Arabella said the last sentence was as much disgust as she could muster. Remus turned white and his nose flared. He looked as though he wanted nothing more in life than to hit her right now, forgetting about the fact that she was his goddaughter.

'Get out, Remus,' Arabella said aloofly, surprising herself on how calm she sounded. Her throat was closing in her on her. If Arabella cried, she would forgive Remus. She cannot let that happen. 'Get out of my house and don't come back. You are not welcomed here. Go back to Andromeda, Ted and Nymph. Go back on your knees and beg for her forgiveness, beg for all their forgiveness. Swallow your pride and do it. Make them proud to have you in the family. Make my mum proud to have known you. Make my aunt proud to have known you. Make my dad proud to have called you his friend. Make me proud to call you my godfather, because right now, I really wish you weren't.'

There was a cold moment where Remus and Arabella stared at each other. Remus's hot glared had cooled down, but he was still burning a hole through her and looked as though he wanted to yell, but was straining himself from doing so. Arabella could feel herself wanting to cry and curl up in a ball. So many pictures were running through her mind: Kassandra pleading for her life, Sirius falling through the veil, Arabella Torell's broke body on the ground…

After what felt like an hour, but really seconds, Remus grabbed his wand, looking withered and visibly angry, swiftly walked up the stairs and disappeared. They could hear the front door slam.

'How could you?' wailed Hermione, looking worried.

'It was easy,' said Harry.

Arabella went to the counter where he cake batter was. She kept stirring and put her head down so that nobody would see how much she wanted to break down.

'Don't look at me like that!' Harry snapped at Hermione.

'Don't you start on her!' snarled Ron.

'No – no – we mustn't fight!' said Hermione.

'You shouldn't have said that stuff to Remus,' Ron told Harry, then looked at Arabella. 'Neither one of you should have.'

'He had it coming to him,' said Harry. 'Parents shouldn't leave their kids unless – unless they've got to.'

Harry walked away to where Arabella was. He stood a couple feet from where she was with his back turned to Ron and Hermione as well.

'If he goes back to Nymph,' said Arabella quietly, 'it would've been worth it. He was not himself.'

The kitchen fell silent with only the sounds of Arabella stirring making the only sounds. Harry had gone to sit on the table, pretending to read the Daily Prophet while Ron and Hermione sat opposite to him, pretending to communicate silently.

Arabella had just put the battered pan into the stove when a deafening _crack _echoed around the kitchen.

She had almost forgotten about Kreacher and thought that Remus had come back into the house. She only took into account a bit later the mass of struggling limbs that appeared out of thin air before her. Kreacher disentangled himself and, bowing lowly to Arabella, croaked, 'Kreacher had returned with the thief Mundungus Fletcher, Mistress.'

Mundungus scrambled up and pulled out his wand. Hermione, however, was too quick for him.

'Expelliarmus!'

Mundungus's wand soared into the air, and Hermione caught it. Wild-eyed, Mundungus dived for the stair. Ron rugby-tackled him and Mundungus hit the stone floor with a crunch.

'What?' he bellowed, writhing in his attempts to free himself from Ron's grip. 'Wha've I done? Setting a bleedin' 'ouse-elf on me, what are you playing at, wha've I done, lemma go, lemme go, or –'

'You're not in much of a position to make threats,' said Harry. He dropped to his knees beside Mundungus, who stopped struggling and looked terrified. Ron got up, panting, and watched as Harry pointed his wand deliberately at Mundungus's nose.

'Kreacher apologizes for the delay in bringing the thief,' croaked the house-elf. 'Fletched knows how to avoid the capture, has many hidey-holes and accomplices. Nevertheless, Kreacher cornered the thief in the end.'

'You've done well, Kreacher,' said Arabella, trying to smile at him. Kreacher bowed lowly, muttering, 'Mistress.' Their relationship seemed to be progressing.

'Rght, we'v got a few questions for you,' Harry told Mundungus, who shouted at once, 'I panicked, okay? I never wanted to come along, no offense, mate, but I never volunteered to die for you, or her for that matter' – he looked at Arabella.

There was sound of pattering feet, a blaze of shining copper, an echoing clang, and shriek of agony: Kreacher had taken a run at Mundungus and hit him over the head with a saucepan.

'Call 'im off, call 'im off, 'e should be locked up!' screamed Mundungus, cowering as Kreacher raised the heavy-bottomed pan again.

'How dare you talk about Kreacher's Mistress–!'

'Kreacher, no!' said Arabella, though now struggling to keep the smile off her face.

Kreacher's thin arms trembled with the weight of the pan, still held aloft.

'Perhaps just one more, Mistress, for luck?'

Ron laughed.

'We need him conscious and with whatever brain cells he has left,' said Arabella. 'But you can have a go at him later.'

'Thank you very much, Mistress,' said Kreacher with a bow, and he retreated a short distance, his pale eyes fixed upon Mundungus with loathing.

'We're not interest in why you ran out on Mad-Eye and Arabella,' said Harry, moving his wand a little closer to Mundungus's eyes. 'We already knew you were a spineless little worm.'

'Well then, why the 'ell am I being 'unted down by 'ouse-elves? Or is this about them goblets again? I ain't got none of 'em left, or you could 'ave 'em –'

'It's not about the goblets either, although you're getting warmer,' said Harry. 'Shut up and listen.'

Harry's wand was now very close to the bridge of Mundungus's nose.

'When you cleaned out his house if anything valuable,' Harry began, but Mundungus interrupted him again.

'Sirius never cared about any of the junk –'

Arabella and Kreacher looked at each other for a moment. Arabella nodded once and Kreacher charged again, hitting over the head with a saucepan, again with the shriek of agony.

''E should be locked up, I'm tellin' yeah!' Mundungus screamed.

'Kreacher, that's enough,' said Arabella. Kreacher retracted with his hand gripping the saucepan and glaring at Mundungus. 'For your information Mundungus, you stole from and I find all those so-called 'junk' valuable. And if wasn't for the fact that my bat is upstairs, I would let Kreacher have it and beat the shit out of you with it.'

Harry looked at her for a moment before turning back to Mundungus.

'When you stripped this house of all the valuables you could fine, you took a bunch of stuff from the kitchen cupboard. There was a locket in there. What did you do with it?'

'Why?' asked Mundungus. 'Is it valuable?'

'You've still got it!' cried Hermione.

'No, he hasn't,' said Ron shrewdly. 'He's wondering whether he should have asked more money for it.'

'More?' said Munngus. 'That wouldn't have been effing difficult… bleedin' give away, di'n' I? No choice.'

'What do you mean?'

'I was selling in Diagon Alley and she come up to me and asks if I've got a license for trading in magical artifacts. Bleedin' snoop. She was gonna fine me, but she took a fancy to the locket an' told me she'd take it and let me off that time, and to fink meself lucky.'

'Who was this woman?' asked Harry.

'I dunno, some Ministry hag.'

Mundungus considered for a moment, brow wrinkled.

'Little woman. Bow on top of 'er head.'

He frowned and then added, 'Looked like a toad.'

Harry dropped his wand: It hit Mundungus on the nose and shot red sparks into his eyebrows, which ignited.

'Aguamenti!' screamed Hermione, and a jet of water streamed from her wand, engulfing a spluttering and choking Mundungus.

Harry looked up to see identical expressions of shock in their faces.

**Thank you for reading! I couldn't help it, I don't like Mundungus and liked the idea of Kreacher hitting him more than once :) Tell me what you think! **


	9. Magic is Might

**disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nah, just Arabella. **

**Hello everyone! I'm back! Great vacation. Funny thing happened, a seagull stole my sandwich and me and my mom are still laughing about it. Can't wait to get back into this story. Got a lot of things planned out and what Mad-Eye gave to her in the first chapter will be used soon. ****Hope you all like it!**

Magic is Might

Number twelve has never been seen by anybody, nor have the inhabitants. But the square has gained a lot of visitors over the next couple weeks. Every day there would be one or two people arriving at Grimmauld Place with a purpose to just lean against the railings facing numbers eleven and thirteen, watching the join between the two houses. The lurkers were never the same two people, but they all shared the same hatred for normal clothing.

On the first day of September there were more people lurking in the square than ever before. They stood silently and watchfully, gazing at the houses eleven and thirteen determinedly. As the evening came about, they all had the same expression of frustration and disappointment.

Meanwhile, inside number twelve, Arabella, Ron and Hermione were having dinner, curtsey of Kreacher, and looking over their scribbled notes and hand drawn maps that scattered all over the table.

'I've got news, and you won't like it.'

Harry was back. Kreacher hurried toward him, Regulus's locket bouncing on his chest as he seized Harry's Invisibility Cloak and told him to take his shoes off and wash hands for dinner.

'What's happened?' Ron asked apprehensively.

Harry strode towards them and threw the newspaper on top pf the parchments.

A large picture of a hook-nosed, black haired man stared up at all of them, bearing the headline:

_SEVERUS SNAPE CONFIRMED AS HOGWARTS HEADMASTER_

'No!' said Arabella, Ron and Hermione loudly.

Hermione was the quickest. She snatched up the newspaper and began to read the story out loud.

''_Severus Snape, long-standing Potions master at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, was today appointed headmaster in the most important of several staffing changes at the ancient school. Following the resignation of the previous Muggle Studies teacher, Alecto Carrow will take over the post while her brother, Amycus, fills the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. _

_'I welcome the opportunity to uphold our finest Wizarding traditions and values –' _Like committing murder and cutting off people's ears, I suppose! Snape, headmaster! Snape in Dumbledore's study – Merlin's pants!' she shrieked, making Arabella, Harry and Ron jump. She leapt up from the table and hurtled from the room, shouting as she went, 'I'll be back in a minute!'

''Merlin's pants'?' repeated Ron, looking amused. 'She must be upset.' He pulled the newspaper toward him and examined the article about Snape.

'The other teachers won't stand for this. McGonagall and Flitwick and Sprout all know the truth, they know how Dumbledore died. They won't accept Snape as headmaster. And who are these Carrows?'

'Death Eaters,' said Harry. 'There are pictures of them inside. They were at the top pf the tower when Snape killed Dumbledore, so it's all friends together. And I can't see that the other teachers have got any choice but to stay. If the Ministry and Voldemort are behind Snape it'll be a choice between staying and teaching, or a nice few years in Azkaban – and that's if they're lucky. I reckon I'll stay to try and protect the students.'

Arabella smiled at him.

Kreacher came bustling to the table with a large bowl in his hands, and served out soup in pristine bowls, whistling between his teeth as he did so.

'Thanks, Kreacher,' said Arabella.

Harry flipped over the Prophet so that none of them had to look at Snape's face. 'Well, at least we know exactly where Snape is now.'

Arabella began to eat the soup and sighed happily. Kreacher's cooking has become better since the day he was given Regulus's locket and the French onion soup was to die for.

'There are still a load of Death Eaters watching the house,' Harry said as they ate, 'more than usual. It's like they're hoping we'll march out carrying our school trunks and head off for the Hogwarts Express.'

Ron glanced at his watch.

'I've been thinking about that all day. It left nearly six hours ago. Weird, not being on it, isn't it?'

Arabella absentmindedly nodded, thinking about the scarlet steam engine.

'They nearly saw me coming back in just now,' Harry said. 'I landed badly on the top step, and the Cloak slipped.'

'I do that every time. Oh, here she is,' Ron added, craning around in his seat to watch Hermione re-entering the kitchen. 'And what in the name of Merlin's most baggy Y Fronts was that about?'

'I remembered this,' Hermione panted.

She was carrying a large, framed picture, which she now lowered to the floor before seizing her beaded bag. Within seconds, the too large framed had vanished into the tiny bag.

'Phineas Nigellus,' Hermione explained as the shrew the bag onto the kitchen table with the usual clanking crash.

'Sorry?' said Ron, but Arabella understood. The painting of Phineas Nigellus Black was able to move around in his portrait in Grimmauld Place and the one that hung in the headmaster's office at Hogwarts, the room where Snape does not deserve to sit in.

'Snape could send Phineas Nigellus to look inside this house for him,' Hermione explained to Ron as she resumed her seat. 'But let him try it now, all Phineas Nigellus will be able to see is the inside of my handbag.'

'Good thinking!' said Ron, looking impressed.

'Thank you,' smiled Hermione, pulling her soup toward her. 'So, Harry, what else happened today?'

'Nothing,' said Harry. 'Watched the Ministry entrance for seven hours. No sign of her. Saw your dad, though, Ron. He looks fine.'

Ron nodded his appreciation of this news. They had agreed that it was far too dangerous to try and communicate with Mr Weasley while he walked in and out of the Ministry, because he was always surrounded by other Ministry workers. It was, however, reassuring to catch glimpses of him.

'Dad always told us most Ministry people use the Floo Network to get to work,' Ron said. 'That's why we haven't seen Umbridge, she'd never walk, she'd think she's too important.'

'And what about that funny old witch and that little wizard in the navy robes?' Hermione asked.

'Oh yeah, the bloke from Magical Maintenance,' said Ron.

'How do you know he works for Magical Maintenance?' Hermione asked, her spoon suspended in midair.

'Dad said everyone from Magical Maintenance wears navy blue robes.'

'But you never told us that!'

Hermione dropped her spoon and pulled toward her the bundle of notes and maps that they had been examining.

'There's nothing in here about navy blue robes, nothing!' she said, flipping agitatedly through the pages.

'Well, does it really matter?'

'Ron, it all matters! If we're going to get into the Ministry and not give ourselves away when they're bound to be on the lookout for intruders, every little detail matters! We've been over and over this, I mean, what's the point of all these reconnaissance trips if you aren't even bothering to tell us –'

'Blimey, Hermione, I forgot one little thing –'

'You do realize, don't you, that there's probably no more dangerous place in the whole world for us to be right now than the Ministry of –'

'I think we should do it tomorrow,' said Harry.

Hermione stopped dead, her jaw hanging. Ron choked a little over his soup.

Arabella swallowed her soup before speaking. 'Tomorrow? Are you serious?'

'I am,' said Harry. 'I don't think we're going to be much better prepared than we are now even if we skulk around the Ministry entrance for another month. The longer we put it off, the farther away that locket could be. There's already a good chance Umbridge has chucked it away. The thing doesn't open.'

'Unless,' said Ron, 'she's found a way of opening it and she's now possessed.'

'Won't make a difference, really,' said Arabella, shrugging. 'She's too evil in the first place.'

Hermione was biting her lip, deep in thought.

'We know everything important,' Harry went on, addressing Hermione. 'We know they've stopped Apparition in and out of the Ministry. We know only the most senior Ministry members are allowed to connect their homes to the Floo Network now, because Ron heard those two Unspeakables complaining about it. And we know roughly where Umbridge's office is, because of what you heard that bearded bloke saying to his mate –'

''_I'll be up on level one, Dolores wants to see me'_,' Hermione recited immediately.

'Exactly,' said Harry. 'And we know you get in using those funny coins, or tokens, or whatever they are, because Arabella saw that witch borrowing one from her friend –'

'But we haven't got any!'

'If the plan works, we will have,' Harry continued calmly.

'I don't know, Harry, I don't know… There are an awful lot of things that could go wrong, so much relies on chance…'

'That'll be true even if we spend another three months preparing,' said Harry. 'It's time to act.'

They had spent the previous four weeks taking turns using the Invisibility Cloak and spying on the official entrance to the Ministry. They had trailed Ministry workers on their way in, eavesdropped on their conversations, and learned by careful observation which of them could be relied upon to appear, alone, at the same time every day. Slowly they had built up the sketchy maps and notes now stacked in front of Hermione.

'All right,' said Ron slowly, 'let's say we go for it tomorrow… I think it should just be me, Harry and Arabella.'

'Oh, don't start that again!' sighed Hermione. 'I thought we'd settled this.'

'It's one thing hanging around the entrances under the Cloak, but this is different, Hermione.' Ron jabbed a finger at a copy of the Daily Prophet dated ten days previously. 'You're on the list of Muggle-borns who didn't present themselves for interrogation!'

'And you're supposed to be dying of spattergroit at the Burrow! If anyone shouldn't go, it's Harry, he's got a ten thousand Galleon price on his head –'

'Fine, I'll stay here,' said Harry. 'Let me know if you ever defeat Voldemort, won't you?'

Arabella, Ron and Hermione laughed and Harry jumped. Arabella narrowed her eyes at him as he brushed his hair out of his eyes.

'Well, if all four of us go we'll have to Disapparate separately,' said Ron. 'We can't all fit under the Cloak anymore.'

Harry stood up and Kreacher hurried forward immediately.

'Master has not finished his soup, would Master prefer the savory stew, or else the treacle tart to which Master is so partial?'

'Thanks, Kreacher, but I'll be back in a minute – er – bathroom.'

Arabella watched him suspiciously as Harry hurried up the stairs. She looked and saw that Hermione was thinking along the same lines as her.

'_Er wohnt hier nicht mehr_! He no live here! I know him not!'

The three of them jumped up and ran upstairs to the first landing to the source of the screaming, the bathroom.

'_Das weiß ich nicht_! He move! I know not, I know not!'

'Harry! HARRY!' Arabella screamed, pounding the door. 'Harry, open up!'

The door opened and Arabella topped inside at once, regained her balance, and looked around suspiciously. Hermione was right behind her as well as Ron. They all looked around the bathroom, Ron with his wand pointed into the corners.

'What were you doing?' asked Hermione sternly.

'What d'you think I was doing?' asked Harry feebly.

'You were yelling your head off!' said Ron.

'Oh yeah… I must've dozed off or –'

'Harry, please don't insult our intelligence,' said Hermione, taking in deep breaths. 'We know your scar hurt downstairs, and you're white as a sheet.'

Harry sat down on the edge of the bath.

'Fine. I've just seen Voldemort murdering a woman. By now he's probably killed her whole family. And he didn't need to. It was Cedric all over again, they were just _there_…'

'Harry, you aren't supposed to let this happen anymore!' Hermione cried. 'Dumbledore wanted you to use Occlumency! He thought the connection was dangerous – Voldemort could use it, Harry! What good is it to watch him kill and torture, how can it help?'

'Because it means I know what he's doing,' said Harry.

'So you're not even going to try to shut him out?'

'Hermione, I can't. You know I'm lousy at Occlumency, I never got the hang of it.'

'You never really tried!' she said hotly. 'I don't get it, Harry – do you like having this special connection or relationship or what — whatever —'

She faltered under the look he gave her as he stood up.

'Like it?' he said quietly. 'Would you like it?'

'I — no — I'm sorry, Harry, I didn't mean —'

'I hate it, I hate the fact that he can get inside me, that I have to watch him when he's most dangerous. But I'm going to use it.'

'Dumbledore —'

'Forget Dumbledore. This is my choice, nobody else's. I want to know why he's after Gregorovitch.'

'Who?'

'He's a foreign wandmaker,' said Harry. 'He made Krum's wand and Krum reckons he's brilliant.'

'But according to you,' said Ron, 'Voldemort's got Ollivander locked up somewhere. If he's already got a wandmaker, what does he need another one for?'

'Maybe he agrees with Krum, maybe he thinks Gregorovitch is better ... or else he thinks Gregorovitch will be able to explain what my wand did when he was chasing me, because Ollivander didn't know.'

'But according to you,' said Ron, 'Voldemort's got Ollivander locked up somewhere. If he's already got a wandmaker, what does he need another one for?'

'Maybe he agrees with Krum, maybe he thinks Gregorovitch is better... or else he thinks Gregorovitch will be able to explain what my wand did when he was chasing me, because Ollivander didn't know.'

'Harry, you keep talking about what your wand did,' said Hermione, 'but _you _made it happen! Why are you so determined not to take responsibility for your own power?'

'Because I know it wasn't me! And so does Voldemort, Hermione! We both know what really happened!'

They glared at each other. Arabella and Ron glanced at each other before they both sighed.

'Drop it,' Arabella said, pinching the bridge of her nose. 'It's up to Harry. And if we're going to the Ministry tomorrow, we should go over the plan.'

Reluctantly, Hermione let the matter rest. They returned to the basement, where Kreacher served them all stew and treacle tart.

They did not get to bed until late that night, after spending hours going over and over their plan until they could recite it, word perfect, to each other. They could probably say it backwards to each other. Arabella, sleeping in her room, was muttering the plan to herself for ten more minutes.

Dawn came with indecent haste.

Arabella woke up early, barely able to fall asleep the previous night, and went to the kitchen. She greeted Kreacher with a smile as he served her coffee and some toast. Hermione soon entered the kitchen, muttering under her breath and poking her beaded bag to make sure everything was there. Harry and Ron entered the kitchen a while later, both with a grave look on their faces.

They gulped down their breakfast, then set off upstairs, Kreacher bowing them out and promising to have a steak-and-kidney pie ready for them when they returned.

They made their way onto the front step with immense caution. They could see a couple of Death Eaters watching the house from across the misty square.

Hermione Disapparated with Ron first, then came back for Harry, and then Arabella.

They were all in the tiny alleyway where the first phase of their plan was scheduled to take place. It was as yet deserted, except for a couple of large bins. The first Ministry workers did not usually appear here until at least eight o'clock.

'Right then,' said Hermione, checking her watch. 'She ought to be here in about five minutes. When I've Stunned her –'

'Hermione, we know,' said Ron sternly. 'And I thought we were supposed to open the door before she got here?'

Hermione squealed. 'I nearly forgot! Stand back –'

She pointed her wand at the padlocked and heavily graffitied fire door beside them, which burst open with a crash. The dark corridor behind it led, as they knew from their careful scouting trips, into an empty theater. Arabella pulled the door back toward her, to make it look as though it was still closed.

'And now,' Hermione said, facing the other three in the alleyway, 'we put on the Cloak again —'

'— and we wait,' Ron finished, throwing it over Hermione's head like a blanket over a birdcage and rolling his eyes at Harry and Arabella.

Little more than a minute later, there was a tiny _pop_ and a little Ministry witch with flyaway gray hair Apparated feet from them, blinking a little in the sudden brightness; the sun had just come out from behind a cloud. She barely had time to enjoy the unexpected warmth, however, before Hermione's silent Stunning Spell hit her in the chest and she toppled over.

'Nicely done, Hermione,' said Ron, emerging from behind a bin beside the theater door as Harry took off the Invisibility Cloak.

Together they carried the little witch into the dark passageway that led backstage. Hermione plucked a few hairs from the witch's head and added them to a flask of muddy Polyjuice Potion she had taken from the beaded bag. Ron was rummaging through the little witch's handbag.

'She's Mafalda Hopkirk,' he read, reading a small card that identified their victim as an assistant in the Improper Use of Magic Office. 'You'd better take this, Hermione, and here are the tokens.'

He passed her several small golden coins, all embossed with the letters M.O.M., which he had taken from the witch's purse.

Hermione drank the Polyjuice Potion and within seconds before them, the double of Mafalda Hopkirk. As she removed Mafalda's spectacles and put them on, Harry checked his watch.

'We're running late, Mr Magical Maintenance will be here any second.'

They hurried to close the door on the real Mafalda. Harry, Ron and Arabella threw the Invisibility Cloak over themselves but Hermione remained in view, waiting. Seconds later there was another _pop_, and a small, ferrety-looking witch appeared before them.

'Oh, hello, Mafalda.'

'Hello!' said Hermione in a quivery voice. 'How are you today?'

'Not so good, actually,' replied the little wizard, who looked thoroughly downcast.

As Hermione and the wizard headed for the main road, Harry, Ron and Arabella crept along behind them.

'I'm sorry to hear you've under the weather,' said Hermione, talking firmly over the little wizard as he tried to expound upon his problems. It was essential to stop him from reaching the street. 'Here, have a sweet.'

'Eh? Oh, no thanks —'

'I insist!' said Hermione aggressively, shaking the bag of pastilles in his face. Looking rather alarmed, the little wizard took one.

The effect was instantaneous. The moment the pastille touched his tongue, the little wizard started vomiting so hard that he did not even notice as Hermione yanked a handful of hairs from the top of his head.

'Oh dear!' she said, as he splattered the alley with sick. 'Perhaps you'd better take the day off!'

'No – no!' he choked and retched, trying to continue on his way despite being unable to walk straight. 'I must – today – must go –'

'But that's just silly!' said Hermione, alarmed. 'You can't go to work in this state – I think you ought to go to St. Mungo's and get them to sort you out!'

The wizard had collapsed, heaving onto all fours, still trying to crawl toward the main street.

'You simply can't go to work like this!' cried Hermione.

As last he seemed to accept the truth of her words. Using a replied Hermione to claw his way back into a standing position, he turned on the spot and vanished, leaving nothing behind but the bag Ron had snatched from his hand as he went and some flying chunks of vomit.

'Urgh,' said Hermione, holding up the skirts of her robe to avoid the puddles of sick. 'It would have made much less mess to Stun him too.'

'Yeah, said Ron, emerging from under the cloak holding the wizard's bag, 'but I think a whole pile of unconscious bodies would have drawn more attention. Keen on his job, though, isn't he? Chuck is the hair and the potion, then.'

Within two minutes, Ron stood before them, as small and ferrety as the sick wizard, and wearing the navy robes that had been folded in his bag.

'Weird he wasn't wearing them today, wasn't it, seeing how much he wanted to go? Anyway, I'm Reg Cattermole, according to the label in the back.'

'Now, you two wait here and we'll be back with some hairs for you,' Hermione told Harry and Arabella.

They had to wait ten minutes, but it seemed much longer to them as they sulked together in the alleyway. Finally Ron and Hermione reappeared.

'We don't know who they are,' Hermione said, passing Harry several curly black hairs while Ron passed Arabella some dark straight ones. 'He's gone home with a dreadful nosebleed and she fainted.'

She pulled out a set of old robes, and Harry and Arabella retired to take the potion and change.

Once the transformation was complete, Arabella now had short black hair with highlights and her skin turned several shades lighter. She was shorter with a much more lighter built. She looked younger than the others. She rejoined the others.

'Take one of Mafalda's tokens,' Hermione told her, 'and let's go, it's nearly nine.'

They stepped out of the alleyway together. Fifty yards along the crowded pavement there were spiked black railings bordering two flights of steps, one labeled _Gentlemen_, the other _Ladies_.

'See you in a moment, then,' said Hermione nervously as she and Arabella tottered off down the steps to _Ladies_. They joined a number of oddly dressed women descending into what appeared to be an ordinary underground public toilet, tiled in black and white.

'Good Morning, Jane!' called another young witch standing in a line as she looked at Arabella. 'How you feeling today? Throat still sore?'

'Er, yeah, a bit,' said Arabella nervously. At least he knew her first name now.

She and Hermione let themselves into connecting cubicles.

Arabella looked down at the toilet and finally understood. She had to flush herself in. Feeling foolish, Arabella clambered into the toilet. Though she appeared to be standing in toilet water, her shoes, feet and robes were dry. She reached up, pulled the chain, and in the next moment, emerged out of a fireplace into the Ministry of Magic.

The great Atrium seemed darker than Arabella remembered. There was now a gigantic statue of black stone where the golden fountain used to be in the center of the hall. The sculpture was of a witch and a wizard sitting on lavishly carved thrones, looking down at the workers toppling out of the fireplaces below them. Engraved in foot-high letters at the base of the statue were the words_ Magic is Might._ The statue was frightening.

'Psst!' said a voice and she looked over to see Hermione, Ron and Harry already standing beside the statue and gesturing toward them. Arabella hastily joined them.

She looked closer at the throne and realized that it was actually mounds of carved humans. _Muggles. _Hermione grabbed her arm and turned away to join the stream of witches and wizards moving toward the golden gates at the end of the hall. There was no sign of Dolores Umbridge.

They passed through the gates and into a smaller hall, where queues were forming in front of twenty golden grilles housing as many lifts. They had barely joined the nearest one when a voice said, 'Cattermole!'

They looked around and Arabella's hand went to her wand, but Hermione grabbed her arm, halting her movement. She wanted nothing more than to cross someone off her list, and now was her perfect opportunity. Her scar twitched in anticipation.

'I request somebody from Magical Maintenance to sort out my office, Cattermole,' said Yaxley. 'It's still raining in there.'

'Raining… in your office?' said Ron nervously. 'That's – that's not good, is it?'

He gave an equally nervous laugh. Yaxley's eyes widened.

'You think it's funny, Cattermole, do you?'

'No,' said Ron, 'no, of course –'

'You realize that I am on my way downstairs to interrogate you wife, Cattermole? In fact, I'm quite surprised you're not down there holding her hand while she waits. Already given her up as a bad job, have you? Probably wise. Be sure and marry a pureblood next time.'

'I – I –' stammered Ron.

'But if my wife was accused of being a Mudblood,' said Yaxley, ' – not that any woman I married would ever be mistaken for such filth – and the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement needed a job doing, I would make it priority to do that job, Cattermole. Do you understand me?'

'Yes,' whispered Ron.

'Then attend to it, Cattermole, and if my office is not completely dry within an hour, your wife's Blood Status will be in even graver doubt than it is now.'

The golden grilled before them clattered open. With a nod and unpleasant smile to Harry, Yaxley swept away toward another lift. Arabella, Harry, Ron and Hermione entered theirs with nobody else following. The grilles shut with a clang and the lift began to move upward.

'What am I going to do?' Ron asked the others at once. He looked stricken. 'If I don't turn up, my wife – I mean, Cattermole's wife –'

'We'll come with you, we should stick together –' began Harry, but Ron shook his head feverishly.

'That's mental, we haven't got much time. You guys find Umbridge, I'll go and sort out Yaxley's office – but how do I stop it raining?'

'Try Finite Incantatem,' said Hermione at once, 'that should stop the rain if it's a hex or curse. If it doesn't, something's gone wrong with an Atmospheric Charm, which will be more difficult to fix, so as an interim measure try Impervius to protect his belongings –'

'Say it again, slowly –' said Ron, searching his pockets desperately for a quill, but at the moment the lift juddered to a halt. A disembodied female voice said, 'Level four, Department for Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, incorporating Beast, Being, and Spirit Divisions, Goblin Liaison Office, and Pest Advisory Bureau,' and the grilled slid open again, admitting a young wizard that brightened at the sight of Arabella.

'Honeybun!' he said sweetly and Arabella, Harry, Ron and Hermione's eyebrows rose. He was tall with bright red hair and hazel eyes. He was skinny and had many folders in his hands. He swooped down and gave Arabella a kiss on the lips, which made her jump back in shock. Harry's jaws and hands clenched.

'Is something wrong?' he asked worriedly, struggling to handle all the folders.

'No – no,' said Arabella, shaking her head anxiously. 'Just – just a little under the weather –er – sweetlybuns.'

What the hell was a 'sweetlybuns'? Where did that even come from?

The wizard looked beyond Arabella and nodded his head towards Harry. 'Mr Runcorn.'

Harry growled at him, looking as though he wanted to knock the young wizard out.

The red haired wizard ignored Ron and Hermione, and handed a fat folder to Arabella. 'Can you give this to Robert Trenholm?'

'Er – sure,' said Arabella, grabbing the folder. 'Where is Mr Trenholm?'

The young man looked at her in confusion. 'In his office, silly. Are you sure you're okay?'

He shuffled the folders in one hand and placed the back of his left hand on Arabella's forehead. She managed to get a glimpse of his name tag: _Burt Urich_.

'Oh, I'm fine,' said Arabella, with what she hoped with a flirtatious laugh and did not sound as nervous as she really was. 'Just a little headache, that's all. Where, by the way, is his office?'

Burt Urich continued to look at her in puzzlement. 'Auror Office,' he said slowly. 'Are you positively sure you're okay?'

'She said she's okay, stop hounding her,' snapped Harry in a rough and deep voice.

Burt Urich turned as red as his hair as the lift stopped. The grilles opened once more.

'Level two, Department of Magical Law enforcement, including the Improper Use of Magic Office, Auror Headquarters, and Wizengamot Administration Services,' said the disembodied witch's voice.

Ron hurried out while Arabella looked back at Burt Urich.

'I'll see you later – er – sweetlybuns.'

She could hear Ron laugh as they went their separate ways.

Arabella walked carefully and slowly as she entered the Auror office. She kept her eyes peeled open as she tried to navigate her way through the cubicles, trying to find Robert Trenholm. The Auror Office was loud and noisy as everyone was working feverishly. Papers were flying with many maps and clipping from the Daily Prophet pinned on the walls and inside the many cubicles of each Auror.

'Keeler!'

Arabella jumped at the person addressing her. A middle-aged woman scowled at her, looking annoyed and frustrated at her mere presence.

'There's a folder on your desk that Trenholm needs to look over,' said the woman, pointing towards her right. 'Go and give it to him. He should be in his office. Hurry up, will yeah?'

Arabella walked to where the woman was pointing. A couple cubicles from the older woman, she found a partially neat one. There was a map behind the small desk, many pieces of parchment and quill, a mug bearing the words: _Do the Hippogriff._ A Weird Sisters fan. There was a small picture of a family, smiling at the camera, and a small plaque on the desk saying: _Auror Jane Keeler. _

Arabella grabbed the folder from one top of the clean desk and headed toward the end of the large office where there was another connecting office. The door had a golden plaque that read:

_Head Auror_

_Robert Trenholm_

Arabella nervously knocked on the door and heard a short 'Come in!'

She entered the office slowly and Robert Trenholm looked up from his desk. He was a handsome dark wizard that was slightly bulky around the arms. He had a little stubble with little bits of white in it. He looked exhausted.

'What do you want, Keeler?' he asked, sighing.

'Er – I've got this files for you,' Arabella said timidly, holding them out for him. 'Sir,' she added at the last moment.

Trenholm stood up and grabbed them from her. He was way taller than Arabella, standing in at six feet. He was more lean than bulky, though his arms were a slightly different from his body. He looked fit very handsome. Arabella hoped she wasn't drooling.

He looked through the first one quickly before throwing them aside while taking his time with the one Burt Urich gave her. He made some notations before closing the folder.

'Go and put this in Umbridge's office, Keeler,' Trenholm said, sighing yet again as he handed the folder back to her. 'After that, go downstairs and make sure everything's fine.'

'Sure, sir,' said Arabella.

Just as Trenholm sat down and Arabella turned around, she turned back to Robert Trenholm.

'Sir,' Arabella asked shyly, 'are you okay? You seem a bit exhausted and –'

'I'm fine, Keeler,' said Trenholm, his voice rising slightly. He didn't look up at her as he continued on with his work. 'Go and do your work, now.'

Arabella was slightly taken back as she nodded her head. 'Right. Bye, sir.'

With one foot out the door, Trenholm said, 'Keeler, wait.'

She turned around to see Robert Trenholm smiling at her. 'Thank you, Keeler.'

Arabella returned the smile before walking out the office and closing the door. She made her way through the maze of cubicles, avoiding many thrown objects, and back to the golden grilles. She was the only there when they slid open and she gasped at the squat, toad-like witch wearing a velvet bow in her short hair and clutching a clipboard to her chest.

'Ah, Jane Keeler,' said Umbridge, giving her a nasty smile. 'Is that from Trenholm?'

**Thank you for reading! Tell me what you think!**

**In my mind, Robert Trenholm looks like Idris Elba. Keep an eye out for him in the future :) And Burt doesn't really matter at all. Just something fun to read. **

**To all you A Song of Ice and Fire/Game of Thrones fans: I saw a post the other day on tumblr showing the Harry Potter characters in different houses, and I was wondering where you guys would put Arabella, Kassandra, Arabella T., Isaak and Hekabe in. And Abel if you want. Tell me what you think about that. I can't wait to hear your opinions :)**


	10. The Muggle-Born Registration Commission

**disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, just Arabella. Hope you like it!**

The Muggle-Born Registration Commission

Arabella wordlessly handed the fat folder over to Dolores Umbridge. The last time Arabella saw her was in the hospital wing at Hogwarts. She burned the right part Umbridge's neck and spit on her face. Arabella took a quick glance at Umbridge's neck and was satisfied to see that her handy work was still there. It was shiny and brown against her neck.

Looking a bit beyond Umbridge, she saw Mafalda Hopkirk and two other tall wizards beside her.

'Well, everything seems to be in order,' said Umbridge, closing the folder and handing it back to Arabella. 'Now, be a dear, and go up to my office and put this on my desk.'

'Right away,' said Arabella, giving her a tight smile.

Panic erupted in the pit of her stomach as she opted to take the stairs instead. She pushed the door to Level One, Minister of Magic and Support Staff, and tried her best to blend it with everyone. Arabella passed many wooden doors with plaques bearing the names of the owner and the occupants.

Their plan almost seemed childish now. They did not even think of the possibility of them all being separated. Hermione was now stuck with Umbridge. Ron was struggling to do magic that was certainly beyond him with a woman's life depending on his outcome. Arabella had no idea where Harry was. And she was stuck being some errand girl for her fake boyfriend, her fake boss, and the toad.

Arabella turned a corner and was emerged into a wide, open space where a dozen wizards and witches sat in rows at small desks. They were all waving and fiddling their wands in unison, and squares of colored paper were flying in every direction. After a few seconds, Arabella finally realized that all the papers were forming in patterns to make pamphlets. They were assembled, folded and magicked into place; fell into neat stacks beside each witch or wizard.

'Jane,' said a witch and Arabella snapped out of her state. It was the same witch that greeted her in the washroom that morning. 'You okay there?'

'Oh, I'm fine,' said Arabella, wishing everyone would stop asking her that. She crept closer to the young witch and examined the pamphlet with a pink cover and a gold title:

_MUDBLOODS_

_And the Dangers They Pose to a Peaceful Pure-Blood Society_

Beneath the title was a picture of a red rose with a simpering face in the middle of its petals, being strangled by green weed with fangs and a scowl. There was no author's name on the pamphlet, but Arabella had an idea as to who was behind this.

'Have you seen the old hag today?' the young witch asked her.

'Careful, Turner,' said the wizard beside her.

'Why?' said Turner. 'Does she have magic ears or something now? Come on, Jane, did you see her?'

'Yeah,' said Arabella. 'She's heading downstairs.'

Turner sighed. 'Of course she is. Thanks Jane. You and Burt coming around for dinner tonight?'

'Um… sure,' said Arabella, nervously fiddling with the folder in her hands. 'We'll be there.'

Before Turner could say anything, Arabella quickly walked towards the shiny mahogany door facing the space full of the pamphlet makers.

There was a new found rage that boiled inside of her when she saw a large, round, blue eye that was set into the wood. She immediately recognized it as Alastor Moody's eye. It was not moving and it was gazing blindly upward, frozen.

For a split second, Arabella wasn't there anymore. She was lying on the ground, crying and clutching onto Mad-Eye's lifeless body, repeating over and over again how sorry she was.

There was a small bang behind her and she immediately snapped out of it. She glanced behind her quickly and saw a puddle of pamphlets on the floor with everyone rushing to help pick them up.

Looking back at the door and the eye, there was a plaque underneath it:

_DOLORES UMBRIDGE_

_Senior Undersecretary to the Minister_

_Head of the Muggle-Born Registration Commission_

Arabella turned the doorknob and stepped into Umbridge's office, closing the door behind her. The room looked exactly like the one Umbridge had at Hogwarts. She quickly frowned at the lace draperies, doilies and dried flowers covering the surfaces.

Behind Mad-Eye's eye, a telescopic attachment enabled Umbridge to spy on the workers on the other side of the door. Arabella looked through it and saw that they were all still at work, picking up the fallen papers, not even bothering to look up at the door. She wrenched the telescope out of the door, leaving a hole behind and pulled the eye out of it. She then placed it in her pocket and looked around the room once again. Her eyes were adjusting in the dark space and she was sure she noticed that familiar dark figure standing behind the desk.

'Harry?' Arabella whispered.

'Arabella?' replied a deep voice. 'Oh, thank god you're okay. Did you find it?'

'No, nothing,' said Arabella. 'Saw Umbridge and Hermione go downstairs. What are you looking at?'

'I found Mr Weasley's file and yours,' Harry replied.

'What file?'

Arabella put the folder on the desk and went around to where Harry was. He quickly handed her two folders while he kept searching the room. She opened the Mr Weasley's.

_ARTHUR WEASLEY_

_BLOOD STATUS: _

_Pureblood, but with unacceptable pro-Muggle leanings. Known member of the Order of the Phoenix._

_FAMILY: _

_Wife(pureblood), seven children, two youngest at Hogwarts. NB: Youngest son currently at home, seriously ill, Ministry inspectors have confirmed._

_SECURITY STATUS: _

_TRACKED. All movements monitored. Strong likelihood Undesirable No. 1 will contact (has stayed with Weasley family previously)_

'Undesirable Number One?' Arabella asked Harry and he pointed at a poster straight-ahead on the wall of himself with the words UNDERSIRABLE NO. 1 across his chest. A little pink note was stuck to it.

'It says 'to be punished',' muttered Harry, not looking at her.

Arabella, angrier than ever, stuffed Mr Weasley's file inside the open drawer and opened the other one.

_ARABELLA BLACK_

_BLOOD STATUS: _

_Half-Blood with pro-Muggle leanings. Member of Dumbledore's Army and the Order of the Phoenix with many known relatives in as well. _

_FAMILY: _

_Deceased mother (half-blood) and father (pureblood). No siblings. Werewolf godfather. _

_SECURITY STATUE: _

_UNKNOWN MOVEMENTS. Most likely with Undesirable No. 1._

Arabella quickly shut the folder and put it back in the drawer. She looked at Harry and saw that he was looking at book. She was about to go and ask him what it was when the door to Umbridge's office jiggled and they both frozen.

In a quick haste, the both of them dropped everything and pretended to look natural and not at all frazzled by the newcomer. They put everything back to where it was and made fake conversation when the door opened and Burt Urich walked inside.

'Thank you so much for helping me, Mr –' Arabella said with a fake smile.

'Jane?' said Burt, looking at her and Harry in puzzlement. Harry groaned while Arabella looked surprised.

'Sweetlybun!' said Arabella in a cheery voice. _Kill me now. _'What – what are _you_ doing here?'

She had one hand on her wand and the other on her hips as she smiled at her fake boyfriend. Harry looked at Burt Urich with distaste.

'I'm just dropping off some files for Miss Umbridge,' said Burt, looking between her and Harry. 'What are _you_ doing here?'

'What a surprise!' exclaimed Arabella. 'I had to drop something off for her as well!'

'Oh,' said Burt, looking at Harry in puzzlement. 'Both of you?'

'Yes, Mr – er – Runcorn was just helping me,' said Arabella, glancing nervously at Harry and back at Burt with a smile. 'We should get going, right – er – sir?'

'Yes,' said Harry in a rough and deep voice as he pushed past Burt and walked out of the door.

Arabella made to walk past Burt and follow Harry, but Burt grabbed onto her arm.

'Is there something going on between the two of you?' he asked her in a low voice.

'Oh, no!' said Arabella, laughing it off. 'Nothing at all! I have to go now – er – sweetlybuns!'

She quickly peeled Burt's hand off her arm and followed Harry to the empty lifts. Burt Urich looked like he wanted to follow her, but, thankfully, the lifts started to move.

''Sweetlybuns'?' Harry asked, sounding as though he wanted to crackle up at that word.

'If I ever call you or anybody that, please shoot me,' said Arabella in a low voice, refusing to look at him. 'What's the plan now?'

'Leave this place as soon as possible,' he whispered to her. 'We get Ron and Hermione and try again another day.'

When the elevator rattled to a halt at level two, a soaking wet and wild-eyed Ron got in, to their relief.

'M-morning,' he stammered to them as the lift set off again.

'Ron, it's us!' whispered Arabella. 'Arabella and Harry!'

'Blimey!' said Ron. 'I forgot what you two looked like – why isn't Hermione with you?'

'She had to go down to the courtrooms with Umbridge,' said Harry, 'she couldn't refuse, and –'

But before Harry could finish the lift had stopped again. The doors opened and Mr Weasley walked inside, talking to an elderly witch.

'… I quite understand what you're saying, Wakanda, but I'm afraid I cannot be party to –'

Mr Weasley broke off as he noticed Harry. He glared at Harry with dislike as the doors to the lift closed and the five of them rolled downward.

'Hello, Jane,' said Mr Weasley, smiling at her. 'How you feeling? A couple people from my department have also been getting the flu.'

'Oh, I'm fine,' said Arabella nervously, smiling at Mr Weasley.

Mr Weasley turned around to Ron, trying to find the sound of steady dripping coming from his clothes.

'Hello, Reg,' said Mr Weasley. 'Isn't your wife in for questioning today? R – what's happened to you? Why are you so wet?'

'Yaxley's office is raining,' said Ron. He addressed Mr Weasley's shoulder. 'I couldn't stop it, so they've sent me to get Bernie – Pillsworth, I think they said –'

'Yes, a lot of offices have been raining lately,' said Mr Weasley. 'Did you try Meteolojinx Recanto? It worked for Bletchley.'

'Meteolojinx Recanto?' whispered Ron. 'No, I didn't. Thanks, D – I mean, thanks, Arthur.'

The lift doors opened. The old witch left and Ron darted past her out of sight. Arabella and Harry made their way to follow him, but their path was blocked by Percy Weasley, who strode into the lift with his nose buried in some papers he was reading.

Not until the doors had closed shut did Percy realize he was in a lift with his father. He left the lift the moment the doors opened again. For the second time, Arabella and Harry tried to get out, but this time, Mr Weasley grabbed Harry's arm and Arabella had to watch the lift door close again and clank down another floor without her.

'Oh, son of a –'

Arabella cursed very loudly and profoundly, causing several Ministry workers to turn to her. After a couple minutes of wearing, she turned to one small looking Ministry employee that looked as though she didn't want anyone to talk to her.

'Where are the interrogations being held?' Arabella demanded of her, holding on to the employee's shoulders and shaking her.

'De – department of Mysteries,' she stammered out, frightened at Arabella. 'Courtrooms.'

'Thank you!' said Arabella, dashing towards the stairs in a hurry. She pushed through many people and ignored those who yelled at her. She nearly tripped on her own feet running down the stair, but kept going until she reached the black door that marked the entrance to the Department of Mysteries.

Not knowing what to do at this point and not wanting to go through _that_ door, there was a small tap on her right shoulder and Arabella saw no one as she glanced back. That only meant that Harry was there as well.

He grabbed her hand lightly and led her to the left side, which opened onto a flight of stairs down to the court chambers.

Arabella immediately registered the chill that was creeping over her with each step. She felt a sense of misery, futility filling up inside of her, as though she was going to explode…

_Dementors. _

As she reached the foot of the stairs and turned to the right, there was a dreadful scene in front of her. The dark passage outside the courtrooms was packed with tall, black-hooded figures, their faces completely hidden, their ragged breathing the only sound in the place. The terrified Muggle-borns brought in for questioning sat huddled and shivering on hard wooden benches. Most of them were hiding their faces in their hands. Some were with their families, other by themselves. The Dementors were gliding up and down in front of them.

Arabella knew she could not conjure up a Patronus without risking putting herself and Jane Keeler in danger. So she, with the guide of Harry, moved forward silently, trying to block out the images reeling in her mind.

_Kassandra screaming… Arabella's empty eyes… Cedric dying…Sirius disappearing through the veil… Dumbledore lying in front of her, unmoving… Mad-Eye broken…_

So Arabella moved forward, trying to act as though she belonged there. She forced herself to think of something happy, anything happy at this point…

Then, quite abruptly, one of the dungeon doors on the left of the corridor flung open and screams echoed out of it.

'No, no, I'm half-blood, I'm half-blood, I tell you! My father was a wizard, he _was, _look him up, Arkie Alderton, he's a well-known broomstick designer, look him up, I tell you - get your hands off me, get your hands off –'

'This is your final warning,' said Umbridge's soft voice, magically magnified so that it was clear over the man's desperate screams. 'If you struggle, you will be subjected to the Dementor's Kiss.'

The man's screams lessened, but dry sobs echoed through the corridor.

'Take him away,' said Umbridge.

Two Aurors appeared in the doorway of the courtroom with two Dementors following them and the Aurors clutched the upper arms of a wizard who appeared to be fainting.

'Get the next Mudblood, Keeler,' said the Auror, passing by.

Arabella's eyes widened as Umbridge called, 'Next – Mary Cattermole.'

A small woman stood up and she was trembling from head to foot. Hesitantly, Arabella went to her and grabbed her arm, lightly though.

'Sorry,' Arabella said as quietly as she could.

They walked inside the dungeon, shivering as they passed the Dementors. The doors closed to the small interrogating room and they were surrounded by a lot more Dementors. Behind a railing, sat Umbridge, with Yaxley on one side of her and Hermione on the other side. At the foot of the platform was a bright silver cat prowling up and down to protect the prosecutors from the Dementors, not the accused.

'Sit down,' said Umbridge in a soft voice.

Arabella, regretting what she did next, pushed down Mary Cattermole in the single seat in the middle of the floor beneath the raised platform. The moment she sat down, chains clinked out of the arms of the chair and bound her there.

'Thank you, Miss Keeler,' said Umbridge kindly. 'Please, come sit with us.'

Arabella made her way up the stairs to the raised platform and sat next to Hermione. There was a change in temperature as Arabella quietly took one of Hermione's quill as Umbridge began to interrogate Mary Cattermole.

'You are Mary Elizabeth Cattermole?' asked Umbridge.

Mary Cattermole gave a shaky nod.

'Married to Reginald Cattermole of the Magical Maintenance Department?'

Mary Cattermole burst into tears and Arabella quickly snatched up a piece of blank parchment.

'I don't know where he is, he was supposed to meet me here!'

Umbridge ignored her.

'Mother to Maisie, Ellie, and Alfred Cattermole?'

Mary Cattermole sobbed harder than ever.

'They're frightened, they think I might not come back home –'

'Spare us,' spat Yaxley. 'The brats of Mudbloods do not stir our sympathies.'

Mary Cattermole's sobs drowned out Arabella's quick scribbling just as Harry tapped her shoulder. She quickly showed Hermione the small message: _Harry's behind us. _

Hermione's eyes widened for a brief moment before they both turned back to Mary Cattermole. Umbridge and Yaxley did not notice them.

'A wand was taken from you upon your arrival at the Ministry today, Mrs Cattermole,' Umbridge said. 'Eight and three quarter inches, cherry, unicorn hair core. Do you recognize that description?'

Mary Cattermole nodded, mopping her eyes on her sleeves.

'Could you please tell us from which witch or wizard you took that wand?'

'T-took?' sobbed Mary Cattermole. 'I didn't t-take it from anybody. I b-bought it when I was eleven years old. It – it – it _chose_ me.'

She cried harder than ever.

Umbridge let out a soft girlish laugh that made Arabella almost gag. She leaned forward over the barrier, to better observe Mary, and something gold swung forward too, and dangled: the locket.

Arabella's eyes widened and Hermione let out a little squeak, but Umbridge and Yaxley paid them no mind.

'No,' said Umbridge, 'no, I don't think do, Mrs Cattermole. Wands only choose witches or wizards. You are not a witch. I have your response to the questionnaire that was sent to you here – Mafalda, pass them to me.'

Umbridge held out a small hand. Hermione's hands were shaking with shock. She was fumbling with a pile of documents balanced on a chair beside her before finally taking a bundle of parchment with Mary Cattermole's name on it.

'That's – that's pretty, Dolores,' she said, pointing at the locket.

'What?' snapped Umbridge, glancing down. 'Oh yes – an old family heirloom,' she said, patting the locket. 'The _S_ stands for Selwyn… I am related to the Selwyns… Indeed, there are a few pure-blood families to whom I am not related… A pity,' she continued in a louder voice, flickering through Mary Cattermole's questionnaire, 'that the same cannot be said for you. _'Parents' professions: greengrocers._''

Yaxley laughed mockingly.

Arabella gripped the chair tightly. Her uncle died for that locket and she was using it to solidify her blood pureblood credentials in the wizarding world. _How dare she_? Arabella had half a mind to take out her wand and –

'Stupefy!'

There was a flash of red light and Umbridge crumped, her forehead hitting the edge of the railing. Mary Cattermole's paper's slid off her lap and onto the floor. Below, the prowling cats vanished. The ice cold air that came along with Dementors hit them straight away. Yaxley, confused, looked around for the source and –'

'Stupefy!'

Yaxley slid to the ground, curled up on the floor.

'Harry!'

'Hermione, if you think I was going to sit here and let her pretend –'

Arabella ignored both of them as she saw the Dementors move away from their corners and gliding towards Mary Cattermole, who was still chained to the chair and let out a terrible scream.

'Expecto Patronum!' yelled Arabella.

A silver dog erupted from her wand and soared towards the Dementors, which fell back and melted into the dark shadows again. The dog's light, much more powerful and warming than the cat's, filled the whole dungeon as it ran around the room.

'Get the Horcrux,' Harry told Hermione.

He grabbed Arabella's hand and they ran down the steps, stuffing the Invisibility Cloak into his bag, and approached Mary Cattermole.

'You?' she whispered to Harry, gazing into his face. 'But – but Reg said you were the one who submitted my name for questioning!'

'Did I?' muttered Harry as they tugged on the chains binding her arms. 'Well, I've had a change of heart. Diffindo!' Nothing happened. 'Arabella, what do we do?'

'Here,' said Arabella. 'Relashio!'

The chains clinked and withdrew into the arms of the chair. Mary Cattermole looked more frightened than before.

'I don't understand,' she whispered.

'Hermione, we have to go,' Arabella urged her. Hermione was duplicating the locket and putting the fake one around Umbridge.

'You're going to leave here with us,' Harry said to Mary Cattermole, pulling her to her feet. 'Go home, grab your children, and get out, get out of the country if you've got to. Disguise yourselves and run. You've seen how it is, you won't get anything like a fair hearing here.'

'But,' said Hermione, 'how are we going to get out of here with all those Dementors outside the door?'

'Patronuses,' said Harry, pointing his wand at Arabella's. The dog slowed and walked, gleaming brightly toward the door. 'As many as we can muster.'

Harry pointed his wand at the door and yelled, 'Expecto patronum!'

A sliver stag joined the dog as they both stood side by side.

'Do yours, Hermione.'

'Expec – Expecto patronum,' said Hermione. Nothing happened.

'It's the only spell she ever has trouble with,' Harry told a completely puzzled Mary Cattermole. 'Bit unfortunate, really… Come on, Hermione…'

'Expecto patronum!'

A silver otter burst from the end of Hermione's wand and joined the others.

'C'mon,' said Harry, and he led Arabella, Hermione and Mary Cattermole to the door.

When the Patronuses glided out of the dungeon there were cries of shock from the people waiting outside. Arabella looked around. The Dementors were falling back on both sides of them, merging into the darkness, scattering before the silver creatures.

'It's been decided that you should all go home and go into hiding with your families,' Harry told the waiting Muggle-borns, who were amazed by the light of the Patronuses and still cowering slightly. 'Go abroad if you can. Just get well away from the Ministry. That's the – er – new official position. Now, if you'll just follow the Patronuses, you'll be able to leave from the Atrium.'

They managed to get up the stone steps without being intercepted, but as they emerged into the Atrium with a silver dog, a stag and an otter soaring alongside it, and twenty or so people, Arabella got the feeling that they just might attract some unwanted attention.

Then the lift clanged to a halt in front of them.

'Reg!' screamed Mary Cattermole, and she threw herself into Ron's arms. 'Runcorn let me out, he attacked Umbridge and Yaxley, and he's told all of us to leave the country, I think we'd better do it, Reg, I really do, let's hurry home and fetch the children and – why are you so wet?'

'Water,' muttered Ron, disengaging himself. 'Harry, they know there are intruders inside the Ministry, something about a hole in Umbridge's office door, I reckon we've got five minutes if that –'

Hermione's Patronus vanished with a _pop_ as her face turned horror-struck.

'Harry, if we're trapped here –!'

'We won't be if we move fast,' said Harry. He addressed the silent group behind them, who were all staring at him.

'Who's got wands?'

About half of them raised their hands.

'Okay, all of you who haven't got wands need to attach yourself to somebody who has. We'll need to be fast before they stop us. Come on.'

They managed to cram themselves into two lifts. Harry and Arabella's Patronuses stood guard before the golden grilles as they shut and the lifts began to rise.

'Level eight,' said the witch's cool voice, 'Atrium.'

They were in trouble. They knew it at once. The Atrium was full of people moving from fireplace to fireplace, sealing them off.

'Harry!' squeaked Hermione. 'What are we going to –?'

'STOP!' Harry thundered, and the powerful voice of Runcorn echoed thought the Atrium. The wizards sealing the fireplaces froze. 'Follow me,' he whispered to the group of terrified Muggle-borns, who moved forward in a huddle, marshalled by Arabella, Ron and Hermione.

'What's up, Albert?' said some balding wizard who looked nervous.

'This lot need to leave before you seal the exists,' said Harry with authority.

The group pf wizards in front of him looked at one another.

'We've been told to seal all exits and not let anyone –'

'Are you contradicting me?' Harry blustered. 'Would you like me to have your family tree examined, like it had with Dirk Cresswell's?'

'Sorry!' gasped the wizard, backing away. 'I didn't mean nothing, Albert, but I thought… I thought they were in for questioning and…'

'Their blood is pure,' said Harry and his voice echoed through the hall. 'Purer than many of yours, I daresay. Off you go,' he roared to the Muggle-borns, who scurried forward in the fireplaces and began to vanish in pairs. The Ministry wizards hung back, some looking confused, others scared and resentful.

Then this happened.

'Mary!'

Mary Cattermole looked over her shoulder. The real Reg Cattermole, no longer vomiting but pale and washed-out, had just come running out of a lift.

'R-Reg?'

She looked from her husband to Ron, who swore loudly.

The balding wizard gaped, his head turning absurdly from one Red Cattermole to the other.

'Hey – what's going on? What is this?'

'Seal the exit! SEAL IT!'

It was Arabella's time to swear very loudly and very profoundly once again. Yaxley had burst out of another lift and was running toward the group beside the fireplaces, into which all of the Muggle-borns but Mary Cattermole had not vanished. As the balding wizard lifted his wand, Harry raised an enormous fist and punched him, sending him flying through the air.

'He's been helping Muggle-borns escape, Yaxley!' Harry shouted.

The balding wizard's colleagues set up an uproar, under cover of which Ron grabbed Arabella and Mary Cattermole, pulled them into the still open fireplace and disappeared. They spun for a few seconds before shooting up out of a toilet into a cubicle.

Arabella fell face down on her face, placing a hand over her wildly beating heart while Ron was wrestling with Mary Cattermole beside the sinks and Harry and Hermione just appeared.

'Reg, I don't understand –'

'Let go, I'm not your husband, you've got to go home!'

There was a noise in the cubicle behind them. Arabella looked around, getting up quickly.

Yaxley had just appeared.

'LET'S GO!' Harry yelled. He seized Hermione by the hand and Arabella by the arm while she did the same to Ron, who gripped her arm just as tightly, and they turned on the spot.

Arabella was surrounded by darkness and the sensation of compressing bands and she felt so suffocated. Her vision was becoming blurry and she could feel Ron and Harry's grip slipping from her fingers –

And then there was the door to Grimmauld Place, right in front of them with that hideous knocker, but before Arabella could sigh, there was a scream and a flash of purple light. Everything went dark again.

**Thank you for reading! Tell me what you think! **

**The thing Mad-Eye thought her, the stitching part, will be shown in the next chapter. It's going to be completely different from how it is in the books, but I hope you like the way I'm going to go with it. I've been waiting to write that scene for a while and that was a good setting for it. Don't be mad at me for changing it. Please. **


	11. Ghosts in the Forest

**disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, just Arabella. The beginning is different from the books, but I still hope you like it!**

Ghosts in the Forest

Arabella opened her eyes and closed it immediately. The sun was glaring down at her through twigs and leaves. She moved her head to the side before she blinked her eyes open. She sat up straight when she saw Ron. Blood was drenching the whole of Ron's left side and his face, a greyish-white, stood out against the dark brown of the earth.

'Splinched,' whispered Arabella, blood draining from her face.

Harry and Hermione were starting to stir. They were finally on their hands on knees when Arabella's fingers began to work on Ron's sleeves, where the blood was wettest and darkest.

Hermione gasped.

'What's happened to him?' Harry asked in a terrified voice.

'Splinched,' said Arabella. 'Hermione, get my bag and the kit inside. Please, hurry!'

Hermione went back to the place where she landed, seized her tiny beaded bag and thrust her hand inside it.

'_Hurry_!' Arabella called to her.

She heard Hermione muttered a quick Summoning Charm twice before passing the kit over to Arabella. Arabella took out the knife and tore away at Ron's shirt, throwing the remains away. There was a great chunk of missing flesh on his upper arm. It looked as though it was scooped clean by some sort of knife.

Arabella quickly took out the small bottle she stole from Mrs Weasley's cabinet. This was supposed to bring relief to any sort of patient, but she didn't know the name of it. Ron, whose eyes were now half closed strips of white eyeball all that was visible between his lids as Arabella's hands were shaking as she took out a piece of from the kit and poured the potion on it.

She pressed the cloth on Ron's skin, feeling her hands shake with each movement. She was breathing in and out in uneven breaths, and Harry and Hermione were watching her every move.

'I got this from Mrs Weasley,' she told them quietly. 'It's supposed to help with the relief.'

When Arabella removed the cloth, the skin did not sew itself together, but it looked better than it did before.

'Nothing's happened!' said Hermione in a panicked voice.

Arabella took a deep breath, knowing what she had to do. Her vision was blurry at best and her hands were trembling as she took out the sewing needle, disinfectant liquid, cloth, lighter, and bandage.

Harry and Hermione watched her every move. Ron's eye fluttered open for a brief moment and Arabella caught that.

'Hey, Ron,' said Arabella, holding his jaw with her hand. 'Come on, open them up. Stay with me. Come on, Ron, stay with me.'

Hermione, holding Ron's other hand, looked anxiously at his face while Arabella fumbled to take out the needle and thread. She tried many times to put the thread through the needle, but the bloody hole was so small. It was incredibly small.

'Come on,' Arabella whispered to herself, biting and licking the end of the tread. She tried again with the needle, but nothing was working.

'Come on, please,' Arabella said to herself again in a frightened voice. 'Come on.'

The thread could not go through the needle. Her hands were shaking.

_Do something_! Arabella screamed at herself. _DO SOMETHING_!

'Why don't I –?' Harry began.

'No!' said Arabella loudly. 'No, I got this.'

Nothing was working. No matter how many times she bit or licked the end of the thread, it just wouldn't go through the needle.

'_Pathetic_,' said a voice.

Arabella closed her eyes before trying again. She recognized that voice and she didn't need to deal with that at this point. She didn't need to listen to that voice to know she was crazy. Her family lines proved that much for her.

'_You can't even put a bloody thread through a needle,' _said Alastor Moody. '_You are pathetic._'

Arabella looked up and saw a figure of Mad-Eye leaning against a tree, scowling at her with both his eyes – magical and real – glaring at her. Harry, watching her, followed the direction of her eyes and found nothing.

'What are you –?' His voice was drowned out by another to Arabella.

'_Oh, shut up, Mad-Eye,'_ said another voice. '_She can do this._'

To Arabella left came Kassandra Anastas, walking closer to her and crouching down to her level. She pulled back her long brown hair and examined Ron.

'_Come on, now_,' she said softly to Arabella. '_You can do this_.'

Arabella went back to the needle and the thread, but it still wouldn't go through. No matter how many times she tried, nothing happened. Blood continued to flow from Ron's upper arms, Harry looked nervous while Hermione silently held Ron' hand. They were all waiting for Arabella.

'_See, pathetic_,' grunted Mad-Eye again. '_Look at her. To think she's your daughter. To think her grandfather's Isaak. She's just a pity in a shirt with boots. She's worth nothing.'_

_'_I not,' said Arabella in a small voice. 'Don't – don't say that.'

'What are you talking about?' Harry asked questionably in an irritated voice that got louder, looking around. But Arabella ignored him.

'_You don't think so?_' said Mad-Eye callously. '_Look at you. You probably just thought that all of this was going to be a walk in the park. None of you would get so much as a paper cut.' _He walked closer to her, crouching down on the other side of her, getting in her face. '_I thought you better than that. I thought you were going to beat them all. I wasted my time with you. You're useless. How did you even get this far? I'm surprised nobody has finished you off yet.'_

'Shut up!' snapped Arabella.

'_Thread the needle,_' Mad-Eye said in a threatening voice.

Harry and Hermione looked at her in alarm. They were both glancing at each other as Arabella continued to try to thread the needle with no results. She kept making frustrating noises when nothing happened. Her hands were shaking furiously and there were tears in her eyes.

'Arabella, are you okay?' Hermione asked.

'I'm fine,' Arabella replied harshly. 'I'm fine... Just leave me alone.'

She went back to the task at hand.

'My hands won't stop shaking,' she said to herself. Why won't they stop shaking?

'Here, let me,' said Harry, his hands reaching out for the thread and needle.

'No, I said I'm fine,' said Arabella harshly yet again.

Mad-Eye let out a long, irritating sign as Kassandra stared at her daughter.

'_Okay,_' said Kassandra, trying to touch Arabella's hand. '_Breath. Come on, Arabella, breath. Try again. This is Ron. This is your friend. You have to do this._'

Arabella took a deep breath as a couple tears streamed down her face. She tried again, but nothing worked. She made a frustrating noise and Ron's eyes flickered open for a brief moment before closing again.

'_Alright_,' said Kassandra. _'Listen to me. You know what to do. Take another deep breath. Stop crying. What good are tears right now_? Stop crying_.'_

Arabella wiped the tears on her face quickly with the back of her hand and took another deep breath. She could hear Harry and Hermione muttering quietly to each other, and she could hear Ron's hollow breaths. And with another deep breath, she blocked out all the other noises. Every fiber in her body did its best to pacify.

_'Thread the needle_,' said Mad-Eye.

With a lump in her throat, Arabella carefully put the thread through the needle and nearly wept with joy when it worked. Kassandra smiled while Mad-Eye smirked.

'_Good,_' said Kassandra. '_Now, what do we do_?'

'Light the end of the needle,' said Arabella, flickering on the lighter. 'Make sure it's hot.'

Harry and Hermione said nothing as Arabella talked to herself as she did the procedure.

'_Then what do you do_?' asked Mad-Eye.

'Start with the edge of the wound to your face and sew away from yourself,' said Arabella thickly as she began. 'Start to the left of the wound with an initial holding stitch. Once you've got that, then go back to the left and repeat. Make sure you keep as close to the edge of possible without releasing the skin through a tear.'

Mad-Eye nodded approvingly as Arabella did as she said in a slow pace. She kept muttering to herself under her breath as she continued to stitch at the skin. Harry and Hermione watched her quietly.

Kassandra waited until Arabella was done with that. '_Now what_?'

'Clean up the rest of the excess blood and wrap the cut with the bandages,' said Arabella.

Arabella quickly muttered 'Tergeo,' at her cloth at the excess blood and liquid siphoned off. She quickly wiped off the blood sticking to Ron's body and carefully wrapped the wound in multiple times before she was satisfied.

Arabella looked around, trying to find Kassandra or Mad-Eye, but they were gone.

'How – How did he get hurt?' said Arabella, shaking her head. 'Why are we here? I thought we were going back to Grimmauld Place?'

Hermione took a deep breath. She looked close to tears.

'Arabella,' she said slowly, hesitating to finish her answer, 'I don't think we're going to be able to go back there.'

'What d'you –?'

'As we Disapparated, Yaxley caught hold of me and I couldn't get rid of him, he was too strong, and he was still holding on when we arrived at Grimmauld Place, and then – well, I think he must have seen the door, and thought we were stopping there, so he slackened his grip and I managed to shake him off and I brought us here instead!'

'But then, where's he?' Harry asked. 'Hang on… You don't mean he's at Grimmauld Place? He can't get in there?'

Hermione's eyes sparkled with unshed tears as she nodded.

'I think he can. I – I forced him to let go with a Revulsion Jinx, but I'd already taken him inside the Fidelius Charm's protection. Well, we're the Secret Keepers, so I've given him the secret, haven't I?'

Arabella was sure she was right. It was a serious and low blow. If Yaxley could now get inside the house, there was no way they could return. He's probably bringing in other Death Eaters in there by Apparition right now. It was her home. It was the place where she spent the summer with Sirius.

'Arabella, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!'

'Don't be stupid,' said Arabella, putting a hand on Hermione's shoulder. 'It's not your fault… Actually, it's mine…'

Arabella put her hand inside her pocket and drew out Mad-Eye's eye. Hermione recoiled, looking terrified.

'Umbridge stuck that in her office,' said Harry. 'To spy on people.'

'I couldn't leave it there,' said Arabella, rolling the eye around in her hand. 'This is how they knew there were intruders.'

Before Hermione or Harry could answer, Ron groaned and opened his eyes. He was still grey and his face shined with sweat.

'How d'you feel?' Hermione whispered.

'Lousy,' croaked Ron, wincing as he felt his injured arm. 'Where are we?'

'In the forest where they held the Quidditch World cup,' said Hermione. 'I wanted somewhere enclosed, undercover, and this was –'

' –the first place you thought of,' Harry finished for her, glancing around at the deserted opening.

'D'you reckon we should move on?' Ron asked Harry.

'I dunno.'

Ron looked pale and sweaty. He made no attempt to sit up and it looked as though he was too weak to do so.

'Let's stay here for now,' Harry said.

Looking relieved, Hermione sprang to her feet.

'Where are you going?' asked Ron.

'If we're staying, we should put some protective enchantments around the place,' she replied, and raising her wand, she began to walk in a wide circle around them, murmuring incantations as she went.

'Salvio Hexia… Protego Totalum… Repello Muggletum… Muffliato… You could get out the tent, Harry…'

'Tent?'

'In the bag.'

'In the… of course,' said Harry.

He used a Summoning Charm. The tent emerged in a lumpy mass of canvas, rope and poles.

'Erecto,' muttered Arabella, pointing her wand at the mess. In one motion, everything rose into the air and settled, fully constructed onto the ground before them.

'Cave Inimicum,' Hermione finished. 'That's as much as I can do. At the very least, we should know they're coming, I can't guarantee it will keep Vol –'

'Don't say the name!' Ron cut across her, his voice harsh.

Arabella, Harry, and Hermione looked at each other.

'I'm sorry,' Ron said, moaning a little as he raised himself to look at them, 'but it feels like a – a jinx or something. Can't we call him You-Know-Who – please?'

'Dumbledore said fear of a name –' began Harry.

'In case you hadn't noticed, mate, calling You-Know-Who by his name didn't do Dumbledore much good in the end,' Ron snapped back. 'Just – just show You-Know-Who some respect, will you?'

'_Respect_?' Harry repeated, but Hermione shot him a warning look.

Arabella, Harry and Hermione half carried, half dragged Ron through the entrance of the tent. Harry shoved aside an old armchair and they lowered Ron carefully onto the lower bed of a bunk bed. Even this very short journey had tuned Ron whiter and once they had settled him on the mattress he closed his eyes again and did not speak for a while.

'I'll make some tea,' said Hermione breathlessly, pulling kettle and mugs from her bag and heading toward the kitchen.

'We need to talk,' said Harry, looking at Arabella. He walked to the entrance of the tent.

Arabella and Hermione glanced at each other before Arabella followed Harry.

'What happened back there?' Harry nearly demanded of Arabella just outside the tent.

'Nothing,' said Arabella, shrugging.

'Yeah, right,' said Harry, sighing. 'You were going crazy. You were talking to yourself and kept shouting to someone and kept looking at different places. So, what happened?'

Arabella rolled her eyes. 'Nothing happened, Harry. Everything's fine, right? I just need to talk myself through it, that's all.'

Harry continued to look at Arabella, though his gaze softened a little.

'Look,' said Arabella stalwartly, 'I'm not crazy.'

_I'm not crazy_ Arabella thought to herself. _Right_?

* * *

'What d'you reckon happened to the Cattermoles?' asked Ron, breaking the silence.

Arabella drank her tea as it seemed to burn away the fear and anxiety inside of her.

'With any luck, they'll have got away,' said Hermione, clutching her hot mug for comfort. 'As long as Mr Cattermole had his wits about him, he'll have transported Mrs Cattermole by Side-Along-Apparition and they'll be fleeing the country right now with their children. That's what Harry told her to do.'

'Blimey. I hope they escaped,' said Ron, leaning back on his pillows. The tea seemed to be doing him good. A little of his colour had returned. 'I didn't get the feeling Reg Cattermole was all that quick-witted, though, the way everyone was talking to me when I was him. God, I hope they made it… If they both end up in Azkaban because of us…'

Hermione watched Ron fret over the fate of the Cattermoles with tenderness in her expression.

'So, have you got it?' Harry asked Hermione.

'Got – got what?' she said with a little start.

'What did we just go through all that for? The locket! Where's the locket?'

'_You got it_?' shouted Ron, raising himself a little higher on his pillows. 'No one tells me anything! Blimey, you could have mentioned it!'

'Well, we were running for our lives from the Death Eaters, weren't we?' said Hermione. 'Here.'

And she pulled the locket out of the pocket of her robes and handed it to Ron.

It was as large as an egg. A letter _S, _decorated with many small green stones, glinted dully in the dim light shining through the tent's roof.

'There isn't any chance someone's destroyed it since Kreacher had it?' asked Ron hopefully. 'I mean, are we sure it's still a Horcrux?'

'I think so,' said Hermione, taking it back from him and looking at it closely. 'There'd be some sign of damage if it had been magically destroyed.'

She passed it to Harry, who turned it over in his fingers. After a while, he passed it to Arabella, who stared at it for a while.

'I reckon Kreacher's right,' said Harry. 'We're going to have to work out how to open this thing before we can destroy it.'

Arabella had the sudden urge to fling the locket at the nearest solid wall. She could feel her own blood pulsing through her veins and could hear something beating.

'Can you feel it, though?' Arabella asked in a hushed voice as her grip on the locket tightened.

'What d'you mean?'

Arabella passed the Horcrux to Harry, watching him carefully.

'What are we going to do with it?' Hermione asked.

'Keep it safe till we work out how to destroy it,' Harry replied and he hung the chain around his own neck, dropping the locket out of sight beneath his robes. 'I think we should take turns to keep watch outside the tent.' He stood up and stretched. 'And we'll need to think about some food as well. You stay here,' he added sharply as Ron attempted to sit up and turned a nasty shade of green.

'I'll get the food,' said Arabella, standing up as well. She quickly walked out of the tent and changed into her Animagus form.

Arabella stood guard on her canine legs for a while, listening for any sort of noise or sign. Thinking back on what happened that day, she almost missed the quiet rustling of tree to her left. She sniffed the air once, smelling something quite familiar – _rabbits. _

Arabella bounded towards them at once. There were two of them and they did not see Arabella coming their way. She felt immensely bad when she snapped their necks with her teeth.

Turning back into her human form, Arabella walked slowly back to where the tent was. She picked up many wood pieces as she crept along and had a bundle when she saw Harry sitting outside the tent.

She dropped them all down on the ground beside him and they fell with a small _thud._ Harry kept staring at the dead rabbits.

'Hey,' said Arabella shortly as she strode into the tent and grabbed Mad-Eye's knife from her bag and a billycan from Hermione's bag, and left the tent without a word towards Hermione or Ron.

Once she was outside again, Arabella and Harry quickly set up the wood and put a fire on. It was a small fire, and she let it burn for a while before turning to the rabbits.

'You might not want to watch this,' Arabella said quietly to Harry.

'I'm fine,' said Harry.

Arabella sighed before taking the knife out of its sheath. She gazed at Mad-Eye's knife carefully, examining it before using her shirt to cleaning it. The handle was brown and there was something about the knife that made it seem so strong, so fierce. It was definitely something Mad-Eye would own.

Arabella turned to the first rabbit and could practically hear Mad-Eye say, '_What do you do_?'

'Cut a ring around each leg of the rabbit,' Arabella mumbled under her breath. 'Just above the joint and just enough to get past the hide. Not too deep in the skin.'

She did as she said while Harry watched her carefully.

'On each leg, make a single slice going up from the ring to the backside of the rabbit. Then pull away some of the skin from the ring cut to the backside.'

The skin came off easily and she stopped at the tail.

'Cut through the bone of the tail and don't puncture the bladder. Then pull the skin from the body with both hands. Peel off like a banana.'

Arabella pushed her sleeves up and took the skin off the body, stopping at the head.

'Cut the head from the spine.'

She tossed the head away from them.

'Break the bones at the arm and leg joints with your hands and then cut the skin at the joints using knife.'

Arabella tossed the skin aside and then cleaned the rabbit with her sleeves. She put the rabbit inside the billycan and repeated the same motion to the other rabbit, still muttering under her breath.

Once she was done, she let the food cook over the fire.

'Here,' said Harry, handing her bag over to her. Apparently, while she was in the mist of skinning the second rabbit, Harry went inside and grabbed her bag for her. She grabbed a shirt from inside and he turned around while she quickly changed.

'Where did you learn how to do that?' Harry asked her.

'Mad-Eye taught me just before Remus and Nymph's wedding,' said Arabella as she cleaned her face with her sleeves. 'He said that it was something I should know how to do.'

Arabella tied up her hair and put the knife back into the sheath. Not knowing where else to put the knife, she thought back to where Mad-Eye had it. It was in his shoes. She put in the outside of her right leg, inside her boots. It was uncomfortable, but she made it work.

They sat there in silence for a while as Arabella kept checking the rabbits every couple minutes to see if it was cooking.

'You can go inside now,' said Arabella. 'I'll take watch for a while.'

Harry hesitated for a moment before heading inside after seeing the look on Arabella's face. She needed to be alone for a while.

The surrounding silence was broken by some odd rustling and crackling of twig, but Arabella kept her wand ready, though she thought the noise was caused by animals. She could hear some whisperings going on in the tent, and had a feeling they were talking about what happened earlier. She tried her best not to think about it, but was having trouble doing so.

By ten o'clock at night, they had all finished eating some rabbit and Arabella had switched places with Harry.

Arabella laid on one of the bunk beds, trying not to thinking about the day and just let everything wash away from her. She could hear Hermione and Ron whisper quietly to each other and Arabella turned her backs on them, pretending to sleep on her side.

* * *

_'Who was the thief, Gregorovitch_? _I don't know, I never knew, a young man – no – please – PLEASE!'_

'_Harry_!'

Arabella and Hermione were standing outside the tent while Harry was sprawled on the ground.

'Dream,' Harry said, sitting up quickly and attempting to meet Hermione's glower with a look of innocence. 'Must've dozed off, sorry.'

'I know it was your scar! I can tell by the look on your face! You were looking into Vol –'

'Don't say his name!' came Ron's angry voice from the depths of the tent.

'Fine,' retorted Hermione. 'You-Know-Who's mind, then!'

'I didn't mean it to happen!' Harry said. 'It was a dream! Can _you_ control what you dream about, Hermione?'

'If you just learned to apply Occlumency –'

Harry did not seem to be interest in being told off. He turned to Arabella and tried to discuss what he had seen.

'He's found Gregorovitch and I think he's killed him, but before he killed him he read Gregorovith's mind and I saw –'

'I think I'd better take over the watch if you're so tired you're falling asleep,' said Hermione coldly.

'I can finish the watch!'

'Both of you get inside,' said Arabella, sighing. '_I'll_ finish the watch.'

'No, you've already –'

'I'm not telling you again,' said Arabella. 'Just go inside, both of you.'

Arabella grabbed her bag and sat outside, taking watch yet again without the span of twelve hours. She didn't need to hear the two of them bickering over something that none of them could control. She kept her wand lit and she pulled out her leather bound book. Remus gave her this book and this is the same book where she had all her names written down. She flipped to the back and began to draw little circles and swirls.

Feeling a little chilly, Arabella reached inside her bag to grab a scarf, and instead felt something else. She pulled out her hand and saw the locket/compass Dumbledore gave to her. It was certainly an interesting object he gave to her. It doesn't point north, but to the owner's deepest desires.

Then she remembered something, while still feeling chilly: the little note.

Arabella quickly took the thing apart and found the small little note. She turned back to the front of her little book and opened it to a fresh new page. She wrote down: _HM Prison Shotts_ and underlined it twice. After putting the compass together and making sure it was still working, Arabella wrote on the same page: _What's waiting for me there_?

**Thank you for reading! Tell me what you think! **

**Mad-Eye and Kassandra weren't actually there. They're her conscious yelling at her and telling her what to do. And this sets up for another chapter later on.  
**


	12. The Goblin's Revenge

**disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, just Arabella. I changed the last chapter up a bit in the beginning with Mad-Eye a little. I wasn't too happy with it and I think it's a little better. Everything else is pretty much the same. Anyway, hope you like this chapter! **

The Goblin's Revenge

Arabella woke up early next morning, still sitting in her post. She was wrapped up in a blanket she did not use the previous night. Her book was tucked under her arms with her hands clutching her wand. She sat up and found Harry sitting near her feet, his wand out, on watch.

'Morning,' said Harry, glancing at her.

'Morning,' replied Arabella, sitting up and stretching her arms. She let out a small yawn and rubbed her eyes. 'Sleep well?'

Harry shrugged. 'We need to talk.'

Arabella groaned. 'Harry, please, not now.'

He ignored her. 'What happened yesterday?'

Arabella let out a small huff before leaning against the peg of the tent. She rolled her eyes before mumbling, 'I saw mum and Moody.'

'You what?' asked Harry, not believing what he heard.

Arabella sighed. 'I thought I saw my mum and Moody when I panicked. They just came or something. I'm not even sure what happened myself. They were just there.'

The two of them looked exactly as Arabella remembered them. Mad-Eye with this tough exterior look. Kassandra with her smile and sweet voice.

Harry heaves a sigh and closed his eyes for a moment. 'Okay, fine. No more hunting and no more stitching up people.'

'What?' asked Arabella, standing up. 'If it wasn't for –'

'There are other ways to heal people and to get food,' said Harry, standing up as well. 'Do you really think I'm just going to let you walk around skinning animals and sewing up people? Especially after what you just told me?'

'I'm not crazy,' said Arabella determinedly with a hard look. He didn't say it, but she knew he was implying it.

'You're not crazy,' said Harry, agreeing with her. 'But you're a bit unstable and' – he rushed on when Arabella opened her mouth –'I don't want you to get hurt, alright? You're walking around with a knife in your boot and you had a nervous breakdown yesterday. You're not crazy, but we'll find out ways to do all this. Okay?'

Arabella glared at him and didn't say anything. Harry tried to kiss her cheek, showing some form of affection and that they were okay, but Arabella just crossed her arms and turned her face away. He still kissed her cheek either way, despite her being mad at him.

'Go back inside,' said Arabella quietly. 'I'll finish the watch.'

Harry said nothing as he stalked back into the tent while Arabella stayed outside. All they could now was to wait for the others to wake up and discuss what they were going to do next.

* * *

Arabella, Harry and Hermione felt that it was best not to stay anywhere too long, and Ron agreed, with the condition that their next move took them within reach of a bacon sandwich. Hermione therefore removed the enchantments she had placed around the clearing, while Arabella, Harry and Ron obliterated all the marks and impressions on the ground that might show they had camped there. Then they Disapparated to the outskirts of a small market town.

Once they had pitched the tent in the shelter of a small area of trees and surrounded it with defensive enchantments, Harry went out under the Invisibility Cloak to find food. This did not go as planned as Harry arrived back within ten minutes, empty-handed, out of breath, and mouthing, _Dementors. _

'But you can make a brilliant Patronus!' protested Ron.

'I couldn't… make one,' Harry panted 'Wouldn't… come.'

'So we still haven't got any food.'

'Shut up, Ron,' snapped Hermione. 'Harry, what happened? Why do you think you couldn't make your Patronus? You managed perfectly yesterday!'

'I don't know,' said Harry as he sat in one of the old armchairs.

Ron kicked a chair leg.

'What?' he snarled at Arabella. 'I'm starving! All I've had since I bled half to death is a couple piece of rabbit!'

'You go and fight your way through the Dementors, then,' said Harry.

'I would, but my arm's in a sling, in case you hadn't noticed!'

'That's convenient.'

'And what's that supposed to –?'

'Of course!' cried Hermione, clapping a hand to her forehead and startling all of them. 'Harry, give me the locket! Come on,' she said impatiently, clicking her fingers at him when he did not react, 'the Horcrux, Harry, you're still wearing it!'

She held out her hands, and Harry lifted the golden chain over his head and pressed it against her palms.

'Better?' asked Hermione.

'Yeah, loads better!'

'Harry, you don't think you've been possessed, do you?'

'What? No!' he said defensively. 'I remember everything we've done while I've been wearing it. I wouldn't know what I'd done if I'd been possessed, would I? Ginny told me there were times when she couldn't remember anything.'

'Hmm,' said Hermione, looking down at the heavy locket. 'Well, maybe we ought not to wear it. We can just keep it in the tent.'

'We are not leaving that Horcrux lying around,' Harry stated firmly. 'If we lose it, if it gets stolen –'

'Oh, all right, all right,' said Hermione, and she placed it around her own neck and placed it out of sight down the front of her shirt. 'But we'll take turns wearing it, so nobody keeps it on too long.'

'Great,' said Ron irritably, 'and now we've sorted that out, can we please get some food?'

'Fine, but we'll go somewhere else to find it,' said Hermione. 'There's no point staying where we know Dementors are swooping around.'

In the end they settled down for the night in a faraway field belonging to a lonely farm, from which they had managed to obtain eggs and bread.

'It's not stealing, is it?' asked Hermione in a troubled voice, as they devoured scrambled eggs on toast. 'Not if I left some money under the chicken coop?'

Ron rolled his eyes and said, ''Er-my-nee, 'oo worry 'oo much. 'Elax!'

It was easier to relax when they were completely well fed. The argument about the Dementors was forgotten in laughter that night and Arabella felt slightly cheerful as she took the first watch of the night with the locket.

The cheerfulness, however, vanished for her within minutes with the locket tucked into her shirt. It was so silent outside and so dark, she doubted anybody would realize if she picked up her things and just left…

But she could not do that to Hermione, Ron or Harry. _Stupid ideas, don't think of that…_

Arabella rubbed the side of her neck as it cramped up slightly. She could feel her whole body tense up with each passing minute. Her scars, all her scars from the ones one her shoulders to the one on her hands to the one on her leg to the one on her hips started to sting irritably. It made Arabella realise how many of them she had laid out on her body with the Horcrux laying against her chest. It lay so cold against her burning skin and from time to time, she could feel something ticking inside of it.

* * *

Hunger made everyone unpleasant.

Arabella tried her best not to complain. She tried her best to thinking of other things. She did, however, scowl a lot and didn't really talk all that much. Harry seemed used to it and took it in stride, though that unnerved Arabella, while Hermione was reasonably on certain nights, but her temper seemed shorted than usual and her silence rather stubborn. Ron, however, was used to three delicious meals and hunger made him unreasonable and irritable. Whenever lack of food coincided with Ron's turn to wear the Horcrux, he became downright unpleasant.

'So where next?' was his constant catchphrase. He did not seem to have any ideas himself, but expected the rest of them to come up with some plan or another. Therefore, Arabella, Harry and Hermione spent unsuccessful hours trying to decide where they might find the other Horcruxes, and how to destroy the one they had already got, their conversations becoming increasingly repetitive as they had no new information.

Dumbledore had told Harry that he believed Voldemort had hidden the Horcruxes in places important to him. They kept recounting the places they knew Voldemort had lived or visited. The orphanage where he had been born or raised. Hogwarts, where he was educated. Borgin and Burkes, where he had worked. Albania, where he had spent his years of exile.

'Yeah, let's go to Albania. Shouldn't take more than an afternoon to search an entire country,' said Ron sarcastically.

'There can't be anything there. He'd already made five of his Horcruxes before he went into exile, and Dumbledore was certain the snake is the sixth,' said Hermione. 'We know the snake's not in Albania, it's usually with Vol –'

'_Didn't I ask you to stop saying that_?'

'Fine! The snake is usually with _You-Know-Who_ – happy?'

'Not particularly.'

'I can't see him hiding anything in Borgin and Burkes,' said Harry, who had made this point many times before. 'Borgin and Burkes were experts at Dark objects, they wouldn't recognized a Horcrux straightaway.'

Ron yawned pointedly.

'I still reckon he might have hidden something at Hogwarts,' Harry continued on.

Hermione sighed.

'But Dumbledore would have found it, Harry!'

'Dumbledore said in front of me that he never assumed he knew all of Hogwart's secrets. I'm telling you, if there was one place Vol –'

'Oi!'

'YOU-KNOW-WHO, then!' Harry shouted. 'If there was one place that was really important to You-Know-Who, it was Hogwarts!'

'Oh, come on,' scoffed Ron. 'His _school_?'

'Yes, his school! It was his first real home, the place that meant he was special. It meant everything to him, and even after he left –'

'This is You-Know-Who we're talking about, right? Not you?' probed Ron, tugging at the chain of the Horcrux around his neck.

'You said that You-Know-Who asked Dumbledore to give him a job after he left,' said Arabella.

'And Dumbledore thought he only wanted to come back to try and find something to make another Horcrux?' asked Arabella. 'It's probably another founder's object.'

'Yeah,' said Harry.

'But he didn't get the job, did he?' said Hermione. 'So he never got the chance to find a founder's objet there and hide it in the school!'

'Okay, then,' said Harry. 'Forget Hogwarts.'

Without any other leads, they traveled to London and searched for the orphanage under the Invisibility Cloak. Hermione and Arabella found out in the library that the place had been demolished many years ago. They visited the site and found a tower block of offices.

'We could try digging in the foundations?' Hermione suggested half-heartedly.

'He wouldn't have hidden a Horcrux here,' Harry said.

With no new ideas, they continued to move through the countryside, pitching the tent in a different place each night for security. Every morning they made sure that they had removed all clues to their presence, then set off to find another lonely and secluded spot, travelling by Apparition to.

Every twelve hours or so they passed the Horcrux between them. Arabella tried to hide her irritation each time she was given the locket, but it was hard. It was as though her blood was itching and clawing to get out of her body. She felt the constant need to dig her nails into each and every single one of her scars and just open them. She felt the need to bleed and feel pain. She felt as though she was becoming mental, like she was turning into some crazy lunatic like Bellatrix.

As days stretched into weeks, Arabella suspected that Ron and Hermione was having private conversations without her and Harry. Whenever she or Harry entered the tent, they would stop talking abruptly. And Arabella has seen them with their heads together, talking fast in a short distance away.

As they moved through the countryside, Arabella just realized that it was autumn. She loved the change in the leaves during this time as the pitched their tent on some fallen ones. Another small upside, her and Hermione were getting better at identifying edible fungi, though that did not solve their isolation from civilization or what was going on in the war right now.

* * *

'My mother,' said Ron one night as they sat in the tent on the shores in Wales, 'can make food appear out of thin air.'

He prodded moodily at the lumps of overcooked grey fish on his plate. Arabella quickly glanced and saw that he, as expected, was wearing the locket.

'Your mother can't produce food out of thin air,' said Hermione. 'No one can. Food is the first of the five Principal Exceptions to Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfigur –'

'Oh, speak English, can't you?' Ron said.

'It's impossible to make good food out of nothing! You can Summon it if you know where it is, you can transform it, you can increase the quantity if you've already got some –'

'Well, don't bother increasing this, it's disgusting,' said Ron.

'Harry and Arabella caught the fish and I did my best with it! I notice I'm always the one who ends up sorting out the food, because I'm a _girl_, I suppose!'

'No, it's because you're supposed to be the best at magic!' shot back Ron.

Hermione jumped up and bits of roast pike slid off her tin plate onto the floor.

'_You _can do the cooking tomorrow, Ron, _you_ can find the ingredients and try and charm them into something worth eating, and I'll sit here and pull faces and moan and you can see how you –'

'Shut up!' said Harry, leaping to his feet and holding up both hands. 'Shut up_ now_!'

Hermione looked outraged.

'How can you side with him, he hardly ever does the cook –'

'Hermione, be quiet, I can hear someone!'

He was listening hard, his hands still raised, warning them not to talk. Then, over the rush and gush of the river beside them, they could hear the voices.

'You cast the Muffliato charm over us, right?' Harry whispered to Hermione.

'I did everything,' she whispered back, 'Muffliato, Muggle-Repelling and Disillusionment Charms, all of it. They shouldn't be able to hear or see us, whoever they are.'

There were heavy scuffing and scraping noises that told them several people were clambering down the steep slope that descended to the narrow back where they pitched their tent. They drew their wands, waiting. The enchantments they had cast around themselves should be sufficient to shield them from the notice of Muggles and normal witches and wizards. If these were Death Eaters, then perhaps their defenses were about to be tested by Dark Magic for the first time.

The voices became louder, but no more comprehensible as the group reached the bank. Hermione snatched up her beaded bag and, after a moment, drew out four Extendable Ears and threw one each to Arabella, Harry and Ron, who hastily inserted the ends of the flesh-coloured strings into their ears and the other ends out of the tent entrance.

Within seconds, Arabella heard a tired male voice.

'There ought to be a few salmon in here, or d'you reckon it's too early in the season? Accio Salmon!'

There were several distinct splashes and then the slapping sound of a fish out of water.

On the other side of the tent was the distinct light of fire. The delicious small of baking salmon wafted in their direction. Then came the clinking of plates and the first man spoke.

'Here, Griphok, Gornuk.'

_Goblins_.

'Thank you,' said the goblins together in English.

'So, you three have been on the run how long?' asked a new voice Arabella instantly recognized. She could never forget the peaceful voice of Ted Tonks. She wanted to run out of the tent and hug him, but Harry, having met him months before, grabbed her wrist and shook his head. Arabella's face sobered up and she nodded in agreement, though Harry did not move his arm, but made circular motions with his thumb that soothed her a bit.

'Six weeks… seven… I forget,' said the tired man. 'Met up with Griphook in the first couple of days and joined forces with Gornuk not long after. Nice to have a bit of company.' There was a pause that was covered by knives scrapping plates. 'What made you leave, Ted?'

'Knew they were coming for me,' said Ted. 'Heard Death Eaters were in the area last week and decided I'd better run for it. Refused to register as a Muggle-born on principle, see, so I knew it was a matter of time, knew I'd have to leave in the end. My wife should be okay, she's pure-blood. And then I met Dean here, what, a few days ago, son?'

'Yeah,' said another voice, and Arabella, Harry, Ron and Hermione stared at each other, silent but excited as they recognized the voice of Dean Thomas.

'Muggle-born, eh?' asked the first man.

'Not sure,' said Dean. 'My dad left my mum when I was a kid. I've got no proof he was a wizard, though.'

There was silence for a while, except for the sound of people chewing their food. Then Ted spoke again.

'I've got to say, Dirk, I'm surprised to run into you. Pleased, but surprised. Word was you'd been caught.'

'I was,' said Dirk. 'I was halfway to Azkaban when I made a break for it, Stunned Dawlish, and nicked his broom. It was easier than you'd think. I don't reckon he's quite right at the moment. Might be Confunded. If so, I'd like to shake the hand of the witch or wizard who did it, probably saved my life.'

There was another pause, then Ted said, 'And where do you two fit in? I – er – had the impression the goblins were for You-Know-Who, on the whole.'

'You had a false impression,' said the higher voice goblin. 'We take no sides. This is a wizard's war.'

'How come you're in hiding, then?'

'I deemed it prudent,' said the deeper goblin. 'Having refused what I considered an impertinent request, I could see that my personal safety was in jeopardy.'

'What did they ask you to do?' asked Ted.

'Duties ill-befitting the dignity of my race,' replied the goblin. 'I am not a house-elf,' he said rougher.

'What about you, Griphook?'

'Similar reason,' said Griphook, the higher voiced goblin. 'Gringotts is no longer under the sole control of my race. I recognize no Wizarding master.'

He added something under his breath in Gobbledegook, and Gornuk laughed.

'What's the joke?' asked Dean.

'He said,' replied Dirk, 'that there are things wizards don't recognize, either.'

There was a short pause.

'I don't get it,' said Dean.

'I had my small revenge before I left,' said Griphook.

'Good man – goblin, I should say,' amend Ted hastily. 'Didn't manage to lock a Death Eater up in one of the old high security vaults, I suppose?'

'If I had, the sword would not have helped him break out,' replied Griphook. Gornuk laughed again and even Dirk gave a chuckle.

'Dean and I are still missing something here,' said Ted.

'So is Severus Snape, though he does not know it,' said Griphook, and the two goblins roared with malicious laughter.

'Did you hear about that, Ted?' asked Dirk. 'About the kids who tried to steal Gryffindor's sword out of Snape's office at Hogwarts?'

'Never heard a word,' said Ted. 'Not in the Prophet, was it?'

'Hardly,' chortled Dirk. 'Griphook here told me, he heard about it from Bill Weasley who works for the bank. One of the kids who tried to take the sword was Bill's younger sister.'

Arabella's eyes grew wider as she clutched the Extendable Ears tighter as though it was her lifeline.

'She and a couple of friends got into Snape's office and smashed open the glass case where he was apparently keeping the sword. Snape caught them as they were trying to smuggle it down the staircase.'

'Ah, God bless 'em,' said Ted. 'What did they think, that they'd be able to use the sword on You-Know-Who? Or on Snape himself?'

'Well, whatever they thought they were going to do with it, Snape decided the sword wasn't safe where it was,' said Dirk. 'Couple of days later, once he'd got the say-so from You-Know-Who, I imagine, he sent it down to London to be kept in Gringotts instead.'

The goblins stared to laugh again.

'I'm still not seeing the joke,' said Ted.

'It's a fake,' rasped Griphook.

'The sword of Gryffindor!'

'Oh yes. It is a copy – an excellent copy, it is true – but it was Wizard-made. The original was forged centuries ago by goblins and had certain properties only goblin made armor possesses. Wherever the genuine sword of Gryffindor is, it is not in a vault at Gringotts bank.'

'I see,' said ted. 'And I take it you didn't bother telling the Death Eaters this?'

'I saw no reason to trouble them with the information,' said Griphook smugly, and now Ted and Dean joined in Gornuk and Dirk's laughter.

Arabella bit her lips, trying to give off a sense to Ted or Dean to ask the question she needed as answer to.

'What happened to Ginny and the others? The ones who tried to steal it?' asked Dean.

'Oh, they were punished, and cruelly,' said Griphook indifferently.

'They're okay, though?' asked Ted quickly. 'I mean, the Weasleys don't need any more of their kids injured, do they?'

'They suffered no serious injury, as far as I am aware,' said Griphook.

'Lucky for them,' said Ted. 'With Snape's track record I suppose we should just be glad they're still alive.'

'You believe that story, then, do you, Ted?' asked Dirk. 'You believe Snape killed Dumbledore?'

''Course I do,' said Ted. 'You're not going to sit there and tell me you think Potter had anything to do with it?'

'Hard to know what to believe these days,' muttered Dirk.

'I know Harry Potter,' said Dean. 'And I reckon he's the real thing — the Chosen One, or whatever you want to call it.'

'Yeah, there's a lot would like to believe he's that, son,' said Dirk, 'me included. But where is he? Run for it, by the looks of things. You'd think, if he knew anything we don't, or had anything special going for him, he'd be out there now fighting, rallying resistance, instead of hiding. And you know, the Prophet made a pretty good case against him —'

'The Prophet?' scoffed Ted. 'You deserve to be lied to if you're still reading that muck, Dirk. You want the facts, try the Quibbler.'

There was a sudden explosion of choking and retching, plus a good deal of thumping; by the sound of it, Dirk had swallowed a fish bone. At last he spluttered, 'The Quibbler? That lunatic rag of Xeno Lovegood's?'

'It's not so lunatic these days,' said Ted. 'You want to give it a look. Xeno is printing all the stuff the Prophet's ignoring, not a single mention of Crumple-Horned Snorkacks in the last issue. How long they'll let him get away with it, mind, I don't know. But Xeno says, the front page of every issue, that any wizard who's against You-Know-Who ought to make helping Harry Potter their number one priority.'

'Hard to help a boy's who's vanished off the face of the earth,' said Dirk.

'Listen, the fact that they haven't caught him yet's one hell of an achievement,' said Ted. 'I'd take tips from him gladly. It's what we're trying to do, stay free, isn't it?'

'Yeah, well, you've got a point there,' said Dirk heavily. 'With the whole of the Ministry and all their informers looking for him I'd have expected him to be caught by now. Mind, who's to say they haven't already caught and killed him without publicizing it?'

'Ah, don't say that, Dirk,' murmured Ted.

There was a long pause filled with more clattering of knives and forks. When they spoke again it was to discuss whether they ought to sleep on the bank or retreat back up the wooded slope. Deciding the trees would give better cover, they extinguished their fire, then clambered back up the incline, their voices fading away.

Arabella, Harry, Ron and Hermione reeled in the Extendable Ears.

'Ginny – the sword –' said Harry, unable to say more than that, though he looked as though he was about to burst.

'I know!' said Hermione.

She lunged for the tiny beaded bag.

'Here… we… are…' she said between gritted teeth. Slowly the edge of an ornate picture frame came into sight. Arabella helped her. As they lifted the empty portrait of Phineas Nigellus free of Hermione's bag, Hermione kept her wand pointing at it, ready to cast a spell at any moment.

'If somebody swapped the real sword for the fake while it was in Dumbledore's office,' Hermione panted as they propped the painting against the side of the tent, 'Phineas Nigellus would have seen it happen, he hangs right beside the case!'

'Unless he was asleep,' said Harry, kneeling beside Arabella.

Hermione looked pointedly at Arabella, who rolled her eyes before saying, 'Phineas Nigellus?'

Nothing happened.

'Phineas Nigellus,' said Arabella. 'Come out and talk to us.'

''Please' always helps, you know,' said a cold, snide voice. 'Not that _you_ would know.'

Arabella clenched her jaws. '_Please_,' she said shortly.

'Better.' And Phineas Nigellus slid into his portrait. At once, Hermione cried, 'Obscuro!'

A black blindfold appeared over Phineas Nigellus's dark eyes, causing him to bump into the frame and shriek with pain.

'What – how dare – what are you –?'

'I'm very sorry, Professor Black,' said Hermione, 'but it's necessary precaution!'

'Remove this foul addition at once! Remove it, I say! You are ruining a great work of art! Where am I? What is going on?'

'Oh, you'll get over it,' said Arabella, rolling her eyes.

'And it doesn't matter where you are,' said Harry.

Phineas Nigellus froze, abandoning his attempts to pee off the painted blindfolds. 'Can that possibly be the voice of the elusive Mr Potter?'

'Maybe,' said Harry. 'We've got a couple of questions to ask you – about the sword of Gryffindor.'

'Ah,' said Phineas Nigellus, 'yes. That silly girl acted most unwisely there –'

'Shut up about my sister,' said Ron roughly. Phineas Nigellus raised condescending eyebrows.

'Who else is there?' he asked, turning his head from side to side. 'Your tone displeases me! The girl and her friends were foolhardy in the extreme. Thieving from the headmaster!'

'They weren't thieving,' said Harry. 'The sword isn't Snape's.'

'It belongs to Professor Snape's school,' said Phineas Nigellus. Exactly what claim did that Weasley girl have upon it? She deserved her punishment, as did that idiot Longbottom and the Lovegood oddity!'

'Neville is not an idiot and Luna is not an oddity!' said Hermione.

'It's hard to imagine why you're the least popular headmaster Hogwarts has ever seen,' said Arabella sarcastically. 'Though Snape might be giving you a run for your money.'

Phineas Nigellus flared at her tone of voice. 'Now, listen to me, _littler girl_, I did not come here because I was forced to. I did this out of the goodness of my heart –'

'Oh, save it,' said Arabella. 'How did Snape punish Ginny, Neville and Luna?'

'_Professor_ Snape sent them into the Forbidden Forest to do some work for the oaf, Hagrid.'

'Hagrid's not an oaf!' said Hermione shrilly.

'And Snape might've thought that was a punishment,' said Harry, 'but Ginny, Neville, and Luna probably had a good laugh with Hagrid. The Forbidden Forest… they've faced plenty worse than the Forbidden Forest, big deal!'

'What we really wanted to know, Professor Black,' said Hermione, 'is whether anyone else has, um, taken out the sword at all? Maybe it's been taken away for cleaning or – or something?'

Phineas Nigellus sniggered. '_Muggle-borns_. Goblin made armor does not require cleaning, simple girl. Goblin's silver repels mundane dirt, imbibing only what strengthens it.'

'Don't call Hermione simple,' said Harry.

'I grow weary of contradiction,' said Phineas Nigellus. 'Perhaps it is time for me to return to the headmaster's office?'

Still blindfolded, he began groping the side of his frame, trying to feel his way out of his picture and back into the one at Hogwarts.

'Dumbledore!' said Harry. 'Can you bring us Dumbledore?'

'I beg your pardon?' asked Phineas Nigellus.

'Professor Dumbledore's portrait – couldn't you bring him along, here, into yours?'

Phineas Nigellus turned his face in the direction of Harry's voice.

'Evidently is it not only Muggle-borns who are ignorant, Potter. The portrait of Hogwarts may commune with each other, but they cannot travel outside the castle except to visit a painting of themselves hanging elsewhere. Dumbledore cannot come here, and after the treatment I have received at your hands, I can assure you that I shall not be making a return visit!'

'Professor Black,' said Hermione, 'couldn't you just tell us, _please_, when was the last time the sword was taken out of its case? Before Ginny took it out, I mean?'

Phineas snorted impatiently.

'I believe that the last time I saw the sword of Gryffindor leave its case was when Professor Dumbledore used it to break open a ring.'

Arabella's eyes widened as Hermione gripped her hand tightly. None of them said anything in front of Phineas Nigellus, who had finally managed to locate the exit.

'Well, goo night to you,' he said a little irritably and he began to move out of sight again.

'Wait!' said Harry. 'Have you told Snape you saw this?'

Phineas Nigellus stuck his head back into the picture.

'Professor Snape has more important things on his mind than the many eccentricities of Albus Dumbledore. _Goodbye, _Potter!'

And with that, he vanished completely.

'Harry!' cried Hermione, holding Arabella's hand in a steel grip.

'I know!' shouted Harry as he punched the air. He strode up and down the tent as Arabella and Hermione squashed Phineas Nigellus's portrait back into the beaded bag.

'The sword can destroy Horcruxes!' said Hermione. 'Goblin made blades imbibe only that which strengthen them – Harry, that sword's impregnated with basilisk venom!'

'And Dumbledore didn't give it to me because he still needed it, he wanted to use it on the locket –'

' –and he must have realized they wouldn't let you have it if he put it in his will – '

'So he made a copy,' said Arabella, a grin slowly forming. 'And put the fake on in the glass case –'

'But where's the real one?' asked Hermione.

They were all gazing at each other.

'Think!' whispered Hermione. 'Think! Where would he have left it?'

'Not at Hogwarts,' said Harry.

'Somewhere in Hogsmeade?' suggested Hermione.

'Who can you really trust with the sword of Gryffindor there?' asked Arabella, shaking her head. 'Shrieking Shack? Nobody goes there.'

'But Snape knows how to get in; wouldn't that be a bit risky?'

'Dumbledore trusts Snape,' Harry said.

'Not enough to tell him that he had swapped the swords,' said Hermione.

'Yeah, you're right!' said Harry, almost cheerfully. 'So, would he have hidden the sword well away from Hogsmeade, then? What d'you reckon, Ron? Ron?'

Harry looked around and saw Ron lying in the shadow of a lower bunk, looking unyielding.

'Oh, remembered me, have you?' he said.

'What?'

Ron snorted as he stared at the underside of the upper bunk.

'You three carry on. Don't let me spoil your fun.'

Arabella looked at Hermione for some sort of explanation, but she looked just as confused as her.

'What's the problem?' asked Harry.

'Problem? There's no problem,' said Ron, refusing to look at Harry. 'Not according to you, anyway.'

There were several _plunks_ on the tent over their heads. It had started to rain.

'Well, you've obviously got a problem,' said Harry. 'Spit it out, will you?'

Ron swung his legs off the bed and sat up. He did not look like himself. He looked mean.

'All right, I'll spit it out. Don't expect me to skip up and down the tent because there's some other damn thing we've got to find. Just add it to the list of stuff you don't know.'

'I don't know?' repeated Harry. '_I _don't know?'

_Plunk, plunk, plunk. _The rain was falling harder and heavier with each passing second.

'It's not like I'm having the time of my life here,' said Ron, 'you know, with my arm mangled and nothing to eat and freezing my backside off every night. I just hoped, you know, after we'd been running round a few weeks, we'd have achieved something.'

'Ron,' Hermione said, but it was such a quiet voice that neither Ron nor Harry heard.

'I thought you knew what you'd sign up for,' said Harry.

'Yeah, I thought I did too.'

'So what part of it isn't living up to your expectations?' asked Harry. 'Did you think we'd be staying in five star hotels? Finding a Horcrux every other day? Did you think you'd be back to Mummy by Christmas?'

'We thought you kew what you were doing!' shouted Ron, standing up. 'We thought Dumbledore had told you what to do, we thought you had a real plan!'

'Ron!' Hermione and Arabella shouted, but their voices were drowned by the rain over the roof of the tent and this time, Arabella was sure he was ignoring them.

'Well, sorry to let you down,' said Harry, his voice calm. 'I've been straight with you from the start, I told you everything Dumbledore told me. And in case you haven't noticed, we've found one Horcrux –'

'Yeah, and we're about as near as getting rid of it as we are to finding the rest of them – nowhere effing near, in other words!'

'Take off the locket, Ron,' Hermione said, her voice unusually high. 'Please take it off. You wouldn't be talking like this if you hadn't been wearing it all day.'

'Yeah, he would,' said Ron. 'D'you think I haven't noticed the two of you whispering behind my back? D'you think I didn't guess you were thinking this stuff?'

'Harry, we weren't –'

'Don't lie!' Ron hurled at her. 'You said it too, you said you were disappointed, you said you'd thought he had a bit more to go on than –'

'I didn't say it like that – Harry, I didn't!' she cried.

'Yeah, and I suppose you didn't say you thought Arabella was becoming mental.'

'What?' asked Arabella, turning to Hermione, looking hurt.

There were tears pouring down Hermione's face. 'I – I didn't mean it like that. I was just worried that – that –'

'That I was going to off on the deep end?' asked Arabella nastily. 'That I was going to hurt myself or even you? Spit it out, Hermione. You obviously have something to say.'

Hermione said in a very small, but squeaky voice, 'That you were going to turn into Bellatrix.'

Arabella said nothing as the rain was pounding the tent. Hermione and Arabella turned away from each other. Arabella's worse fear of other people seeing her as she saw herself came true within her best friend. _Her best friend_ thought _that_ of her.

There was silence in the tent and the excitement of a few minutes vanished. They were just a bunch of kids in a tent whose highest achievement so far is that none of them were dead.

'So why are you still here?' Harry asked Ron.

'Search me,' said Ron.

'Go home then,' said Harry.

'Yeah, maybe I will!' shouted Ron, and he took several steps toward Harry, who didn't back away. 'Didn't you hear what they said about my sister? But you don't give a rat's fart, do you, it's only the Forbidden Forest, Harry _I've-Faced-Worse _Potter doesn't care what happens to her in here – well, I do, all right, giant spider and mental stuff –'

'Yeah, I –'

'Not bothered what it meant, though?'

'Ron!' said Hermione. 'I don't think it means anything new had happened, anything we don't know about. Think, Ron, Bill's already scared, plenty of people must have seen that George has lost an ear by now, and you're supposed to be on your deathbed with spattergroit, I'm sure that's all he meant –'

'Oh, you're sure, are you? Right then, well, I won't bother myself about them. It's all right for you three, isn't it, with your parents safely out of the way –'

'My parents are _dead_!' Harry bellowed.

'And mine could be going the same way!' yelled Ron.

'Then GO!' roared Harry. 'Go back to them, pretend you've got over your spattergroit and Mummy'll be able to feed you up and –'

Ron made a sudden movement and Harry reacted, but before either of them could take out their wands, Arabella raised her own.

'Protego!' she cried and an invisible shield expanded between Ron and Harry, each on the other side of the tent. They glared at each other from either side of the barrier.

'Leave the Horcrux,' Harry said.

Ron wrenched the chain from over his head and cast the locket into a nearby chair. He turned to Arabella.

'Do I even have to ask?'

Arabella said nothing. Ron scoffed before turning to Hermione.

'What are you doing?'

'What do you mean?'

'Are you staying, or what?'

'I…' She looked anguished. 'Yes – yes, I'm staying. Ron, we said we'd go with Harry, we said we'd help –'

'I get it. you choose him.'

'Ron, no – please – come back, come back!'

Arabella dropped her wand as Ron left the tent. She and Hermione were trying to keep up with him, but he had the advantage of longer legs.

'Ron! Ron! RON!'

They were running through the forest, shouting his name amongst the trees in the stormy night. They were drenched when they heard a _pop_. Ron was gone.

Arabella stayed outside for a few moments. Sopping hair plastered to her face with mud covering her shoes and the ends of her pants. _He's gone… Ron's gone…_

She walked back to the tent slowly and saw Hermione curled up in a chair, starting to cry. Arabella could not find the energy or the conviction to go and console her, especially after what she said. The locket was still on the ground. Arabella picked it up and placed it around her own neck as Harry threw some blankets over Hermione. The two of them looked at each other for a moment, blank faces before Harry climbed into his own bed while Arabella went for watch, grabbing a blanket of her own. It wasn't until she was outside with the blanket around her shoulders did she finally accept the fact that she was crying.

**Thank you for reading! Not much Arabella towards the end, but I'm going to try to get more Arabella and Hermione in the next chapter in the beginning. **


	13. Godric's Hollow

**disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, just Arabella. Hope you all like it!**

Godric's Hollow

Arabella woke up the next day lying down on the damp ground. Her right hand was stretched out in front of her, fingers digging into the soil while her other hand was gripping her wand loosely. Her body was covered by the blanket, her head and her left foot were the only ones bare. She sat up slowly; running a hand through her tangled hair as the events of last night came crashing down on her. She wanted it to be a dream. She wanted to go inside and see Ron lying on his deserted bunk, snoring away quietly.

But as Hermione came out of the tent, eyes red and puff, Arabella's hope was destroyed within a second.

'Morning,' Hermione said quietly, her voice hoarse.

'What do you want?' Arabella said harshly. She was not feeling particularly kind towards Hermione, especially having a night's rest.

Hermione hesitated for a moment. 'I was going to make some breakfast for us. We need to talk.'

Arabella huffed. _What's with everyone needing to talk nowadays_? She thought.

'Fine, whatever,' said Arabella, standing up. She brushed away the dirty from her clothes and skin, and then turned to Hermione. 'Talk.'

Hermione's hands knotted in front of her for a moment as she bit her lips, trying to form the words. 'About last night, what I said about you – you know –'

'Turning into Bellatrix,' said Arabella, helping her. She stared at Hermione, scrutinizing her.

'Yes, well, the thing is –'

'I know what the thing is Hermione,' snapped Arabella, rolling her eyes. 'I don't care that you thought I was going to become like her. I've thought that so many times about myself that it doesn't matter to me whether you said it or not.'

Hermione looked vaguely surprised. 'Oh, so you're not mad at me?'

Arabella let out a small snigger. 'I'm still mad at you. I'm mad at the fact that my _best friend_ is talking behind my back like a coward about me rather than telling me her concerns. I've known you for so many years. You were the first one I told the story of my mom to. You were the first one I showed her letters to. We've been there for each other through so many things and – and I thought we'd gotten past the point where we didn't have to whisper behind each other's back.'

Arabella took a hard swallow. 'I thought you were better than all the people I've come across who have told me that I was worth nothing more than a Death Eater. I thought you were better than all those people because you were always knew the truth and you never said a word against me. And now I'm the idiot for thinking you were different from everybody else…'

There was a small moment of silence as they stared at each other. All those years of friendship, those years of having each other's back and always being there – everything's broken now.

'I'm allowed to be worried for you,' said Hermione softly. 'Things are so different since we've met on the Hogwarts Express and I don't want you to turn into something you're clearly not. I'm sorry for not telling you any of this. I really am, but I didn't want to upset you anymore than life already has.'

'Well, I guess you're too late on that part,' said Arabella in a snarky fashion.

There was another moment of silence as they listened to the rustle of trees and the occasional water drop from the aftermath of the rain the night before. They weren't shouting at each other, so they could hear everything else going on around them. It made everything seem so real and even more horrible.

'What does this mean then?' Hermione asked quietly, her red, puffy eyes becoming more transparent to Arabella. 'Between us, are we still friends?'

'I don't know,' Arabella whispered. 'I don't know anymore, Hermione. Let's just forget about it, alright? We're friends, we're not friends, it doesn't matter anymore. I'm tired and I'm sure you're tired as well. Let's just forget about it right now.'

Hermione seemed to have accepted this. They both knew that there was no going back on what they've said to each other. This wasn't something you can easily apologize for. They just needed time before things became remotely alright between them.

Arabella just so tired of everything going on right now. It's draining the life out of her and she just wants everything to end and be over with.

* * *

Arabella, Harry and Hermione ate breakfast in silence. They packed up their things, each of them taking their own time as they kept their eyes and ears on alert for any footsteps. But there was nothing there except for the damp trees and the muddy river.

Finally having entirely packed up the campsite, the three of them grasped each other's hands and Disapparated, reappearing on a desolate heather-covered hillside.

The instant they arrived, Hermione dropped Harry's hand and walked away from them, sitting down on a large rock, her face on her knees, shaking with sobs. Harry strode off through the heather, walking in a large circle, casting protective spells while Arabella set up the tent.

They did not discuss Ron at all over the next few days. Harry was determined never to mention his name again and Arabella did so as well. Hermione did not force the issue of Ron or what happened that night, though at night, she would hear Hermione crying.

By day, they devoted themselves to trying to determine the possible locations of Gryffindor's sword, but the more they talk about the places in which Dumbledore might have hidden it, the more desperate and far-fetched their speculations became.

They were spending many evening in near silence. Arabella took most of the watch, preferring to stay outside in the cool wind, wrapped up in a blanket than inside. Hermione took to bringing out Phineas Nigellus's portrait and propping it up in a chair. Despite his previous assertion that he would never visit them again, Phineas Nigellus did not seem able to resist the chance to find out more about what Harry was up to, and consented to reappear, blindfolded, every few days or so.

Arabella wasn't particularly glad to see him, though the idea of company was a bit nice. They relished any news about what was happening at Hogwarts, though Phineas Nigellus was not an ideal informer. He constantly praised Snape and they had to be careful not to criticize Snape or Phineas Nigellus would instantly leave his painting.

However, he did let drop certain snippets. Snape seemed to be facing a constant, low level of mutiny from a hard core of students. Ginny had been banned from going to Hogsmeade. Nape had reinstated Umbridge's old decree forbidding gatherings of four or more student or any unofficial student societies. Arabella smiled at the news. It seemed that Ginny, and probably Neville and Luna had been doing their best to continue Dumbledore's Army.

The weather grew colder and colder. They did not dare remain in one area too long, so rather than staying in the south of England, where a hard ground frost was the worst of their worries, they continued to wander up and down the country.

They had already spotted Christmas trees twinkling from several sitting room windows and Arabella was trying to image Christmas at the Burrow, snuggled up in a newly knitted sweater by Mrs Weasley. They had just eaten an unusually good meal. Harry looked as though he was contemplating something, Hermione was reading The Tales of Beedle the Bard while Arabella was absentmindedly doodling. The Horcrux was handing over the end of the bunk beside Harry.

'Can I say something?' Harry said. 'I've been thinking, and –'

'Arabella, can you help me with something?' Hermione said, not really listening to Harry.

Arabella looked up from her book, a bit shocked. Her and Hermione have barely talked to each other in the past couple weeks. They just said the necessary words to each other, something only acquaintances would say to each other. Hermione leaned forward and held out The Tales of Beedle the Bard.

'Look at the symbol,' said Hermione, pointing to the top of a page. Above the title of a story Arabella was unable to read was a picture of what looked like a triangular eye, it's pupil crossed with a vertical line.

'I never took Runes, Hermione.'

'I know that, but it isn't a rune and it's not in the syllabary, either. All along I thought it was a picture of an eye, but I don't think it is! It's been inked in, look, somebody's drawn it there, it isn't really part of the book. Think, have you seen it before?'

'Wait a moment,' said Harry, looking at it closer. 'Isn't it the same symbol Luna's dad was wearing round his neck?'

'Well, that's what I thought too!'

'Then it's Grindelwald's mark.'

'_What_?' said Arabella and Hermione together.

Harry then recounted the story that Krum had told him at the wedding. Hermione looked astonished.

'Grindelwald's mark? I've never heard that Grindelwald had a mark. There's not mention of it in anything I've read about him.'

'Well, like I say,' said Harry, 'Krum reckoned that symbol was carved in a wall at Drumstrang and Grindelwald put it there.'

'It's a symbol of Dark Magic,' said Arabella, frowning, 'what's it doing in a children's book?'

'Yeah, it is weird,' said Harry. 'And you'd think Scrimgeour would have recognized it. He was Minister, he ought to have been expert on Dark stuff.'

'I know…' said Hermione. 'Perhaps he thought it was an eye, just like I did. All the other stories have little pictures over the titles.'

She did not speak, but continued to examine the strange mark. Harry tried again. He cleared his throat before saying, 'Well, anyways, I've been thinking and I – I want to go to Godric's Hollow.'

Hermione looked up at him. 'Yes. Yes, I've been wondering that too. I really think we'll have to.'

Harry looked dumbfounded. 'Did you hear me right?'

'Of course I did. You want to go to Godric's Hollow. I agree, I think we should. I mean, I can't think of anywhere else it could be either. It'll be dangerous, but the more I think about it, the more likely it seems it's there.'

'Er – what's there?' asked Harry.

'Well, the sword, Harry! Dumbledore must have known you'd want to go back there, and I mean, Godric's Hollow is Godric Gryffindor's birthplace –'

'Really? Gryffindor came from Godric's Hollow?'

'Honestly,' huffed Arabella, rolling her eyes. 'The name is a dead giveaway. You don't even need to open A History of Magic… you have read the book, right?'

'Erm,' said Harry, smiling a little. 'I might've opened it, you know, when I bought it… just the once…'

'Well, as the village is named after him I'd have thought you might have made the connection,' said Hermione. She sounded like her old self. 'There's a bit about the village in A History of Magic, wait…'

She opened her beaded bag and rummaged for a while before finally pulling out the book and to the page she wanted.

''_Upon the signature of the International Statute of Secrecy in 1689, wizards went into hiding for good. It was natural, perhaps, that they formed their own small communities within a community. Many small villages and hamlets attracted several magical families, who banded together for mutual support and protection. The villages of Tinworth in Cornwall, Upper Flagley in Yorkshire, and Ottery St Catchpole on the south coast of England were notable homes to knots of Wizarding families who lived alongside tolerant and sometimes Confunded Muggles. Most celebrated of these half-magical dwelling places is, perhaps, Godric's Hollow, the West Country village where the great wizard Godric Gryffindor was born, and where Bowman Wright, the Wizarding smith, forged the first Golden snitch. The graveyard is full of the names of ancient families, and this accounts, no doubt, for the stories of hauntings that have dogged the little church beside it for many centuries.''_

'Neither of you or your parents has been mentioned,' said Hermione, closing the book, 'because Professor Bagshot doesn't cover anything later then the end of the nineteenth century. But you see? Godric's Hollow, Godric Gryffindor, Gryffindor's sword. Do you think Dumbledore would have expected you to make the connection?'

'Oh yeah…'

Arabella knew that he wasn't thinking about the sword. That was probably the farthest thing from his mind when it came to Godric's Hollow. For him and for herself.

'Remember what Muriel said?' he asked eventually.

'Who?'

'You know,' he hesitated. 'Ginny's great-aunt. At the wedding. The one who said you had skinny ankles. She said Bathilda Bagshot still lives in Godric's Hollow.'

'Batilda Bagshot,' murmured Hermione. 'Well, I suppose –'

She gasped so dramatically that Harry drew his wand, looking at the entrance.

'What?' he said, a bit angry. 'What did you do that for? I thought you'd seen a Death eater unzipping the tent, at least –'

'Harry, _what id Bathilda's got the sword_? What if Dumbledore entrusted it to her?'

'Yeah, but how old is she?' asked Arabella, looking doubtful. 'She must be as old as Dumbledore or even older. Would you trust her with something as important as Gryffindor's sword?'

'We'll just have to find out, won't we?' said Harry, shrugging. 'He might have, you never know. So, are we going to go to Godric's Hollow?'

'Yes,' said Hermione and her and Arabella nodded. 'But we'll have to think it through carefully. We'll need to practice Disapparating under the Invisibility Cloak for a start, and perhaps Disillusionment Charms would be sensible too, unless you think we should go the whole hog and use Polyjuice Potion? In that case we'll need to collect hair somebody. I actually think we'd better do that. The thicker our disguises the better…'

Arabella nodded and made agreeing noises every once in a while, but was thinking back to the last time she was in Godric's Hollow. She was going back to the place where her family was. After Hermione and Harry had gone to bed, and Arabella was on watch, she took a little walk and found a big flat stone. She went back to the tent, sat down and turned the stone over to the smooth side. Using her wand, she carved: _Alastor Moody_. His eye was in her bag and every time she reached in to get something, her hands would always brush against it. It was time for her to bury him and somewhere proper, next to her grandfather. Arabella felt bad that she didn't know where the rest of his family was buried, and couldn't really find out right now, but she doubt he would say anything against being buried next to Isaak.

Arabella would have gladly set out for Godric's Hollow the following day, but Hermione had other ideas. She was convinced that Voldemort would expect Harry to return to the scene of his parents' deaths, she was determined that they would set off only after they had ensured the best disguises possible.

Once they had obtained hairs from innocent Muggles who were shopping and had practiced Apparating and Disapparating underneath the Invisibility Cloak, Hermione agreed to make the journey, a full one week later.

They were to Apparate to the village during the night, so it was late afternoon when they finally swallowed Polyjuice Potion. Harry transforming into a balding middle-aged Muggle man, Hermione into a small, mousy woman and Arabella to a white haired and rather larger woman. The beaded bag was containing all of their possession, including Arabella's rucksack bag. Harry was wearing the Horcrux as he lowered the Invisibility Cloak over them. Immediately, they Apparated.

They were standing in a snowy lane under a dark blue sky. Cottages stood on either side of the narrow road, Christmas decorations twinkling in their windows. A shot way ahead of them, a glow of golden streetlights indicated the center of the village.

'All this snow!' Hermione whispered beneath the cloak. 'Why didn't we think of snow? After all our precautions, we'll leave prints! We'll just have to get rid of them – you two go in front, I'll do it –'

'Let's take off the Cloak,' said Harry. 'We don't look like us and there's no one around.'

He stowed the Cloak under his jacket and they made their way forward unconstrained as they passed more cottages. Arabella knew which one was hers and it was on the other side of the graveyard.

Then the little lane along which they were walking curved to the left and the heart of the village, a small square, was revealed to them. They were getting closer…

Laced all around with coloured lights, there was what looked like a war memorial in the middle, partly obscured by a Christmas tree. There were several shops, a post office, a pub, and a little church whose stained glass windows were glowing bright across the square. Arabella has never taken this way to the graveyard once. It was surely different.

They heard a snatch of laughter and pop music as the pub door opened and closed. Then they heard a carol start up inside the little church.

'I think it's Christmas Eve!' said Hermione.

'Is it?' asked Harry.

'I'm sure it is,' said Hermione, her eyes upon the church. 'They… they'll be in there, won't they? Your mum and dad? I can see the graveyard behind it.'

Arabella smiled a little as Harry held her hand. She knew how important this was for him, and he knew how important this was for her. She walked forward, pulling him along with her. Halfway across the square, however, Hermione stopped.

'Harry, look!'

She was pointing at the war memorial. As they passed it, it has transformed. Instead of an obelisk covered in names, there was a statue of three people: a man with untidy hair and glasses, a woman with long hair and a kind, pretty face, and a baby boy sitting in his mother's arms. Harry drew closer, gazing up into his parents' faces. Arabella knew why she and Remus never took this was now.

'C'mon,' said Harry and they turned again toward the church. As they crossed the road, he glanced over his shoulder.

The singing grew louder as they approached the church. There was a kissing gate at the entrance to the graveyard. Hermione pushed it open as quietly as possible and they edged through it. They moved through the snow and around the church.

Behind the church, row upon row of snowy tombstones appeared before them. Harry moved to the nearest grave.

'Look at this, it's an Abbot, could be some long-lost relation of Hannah's!'

'Keep your voice down,' Hermione begged him.

They gathered deeper and deeper into the graveyard, gouging dark tracks into the snow behind them, stooping to peer at the words on old headstones.

'Harry, here!'

Hermione was two rows of tombstones away.

'Is it –?'

'No, but look!'

She pointed to the dark stone. Arabella bent over a little and saw the words _Kendrd Dumbledore_, a short way below her dates of birth and death, _And Her Daughter Ariana_. There was also a quotation:

_Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also._

'Are you sure he never mentioned –?' Hermione began.

'No,' said Harry curtly, then, 'let's keep looking,' and he turned away.

Arabella knew where she was going, and would have gotten there a lot fast without the interruptions in between. Until she finally got there, at the end of the graveyard where her family was. She stared at each marble tombstone, her eyes lingering on each of them.

She stared at her father's tomb for a moment, gazing at his name before looking slowly to her mother's, then her aunt, grandmother and finally her grandfather, all lined up in front of her.

Arabella slowly crouched down to the ground and took out the eye and the stone from inside her jacket. She used her hands to dig up a hole, knowing that Mad-Eye would appreciate her doing it with her hands rather than with a flick of her wand. She placed the eye in the dug up hole and covered it up with the fresh dirt. She then placed the flat stone on top of it and added a Permanent Sticking Charm to it.

'Merry Christmas, Moody,' she whispered, standing up slowly and stood in between her mother and father's tombstones. 'Merry Christmas, mum. Merry Christmas, dad.'

There was an approaching figure behind her. Arabella turned her head to see Harry taking a step towards her. He looked at Sirius's tomb with a sad smile.

''_We fight because we believe_',' he quietly whispered.

'Yeah,' said Arabella, smiling a little. 'Moony picked that out. I wasn't even there.'

'It's nice,' said Harry. 'It suits him.'

Harry laced his fingers with her as she leaned on his, putting her head on his shoulders. It took her a moment to realize she was crying a little. Harry gently wiped the tears away with his gloves before kissing her knuckles, understanding her.

They were gone, all of them gone. Family she had barely anytime with were gone and family she never even saw were gone. Moody, her friend, her long-time companion was gone. Her aunt, dead before her time, was gone. Her grandparents who finally realized what was in front of them, gone. Her mother who died in front of her, gone. Her father, the last remaining member who she thought would be there forever, gone.

It's so cruel that they were all lying underneath the dirt, their bones to ashes while she, Arabella, was alive. Her heart was still beating with every breath, due to their sacrifices. Kassandra was lying underneath the ground, next to Sirius and Arabella wishes with every fiber in her body that she was there with them.

Then Hermione's voice came out of blackness, sharp and clear from a few yards away.

'Harry, they're here… right here.'

By that tone, Arabella knew James and Lily Potter had been found. They moved towards her, Harry with determination while still gripping Arabella's hand and she returned the pressure.

The headstone was only two rows behind Kendra and Ariana's. it was made of white marble and was easy to read as none of them needed to bend or kneel closer.

_James Potter Lily Potter_

_BORN 27 March 1960 BORN 30 January 1960_

_DIED 31 October 1981 DIED 31 October 1981_

_The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death_

''_The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death'_…' said Harry. 'Isn't that a Death Eater idea? Why is that there?'

'It doesn't mean defeating death in the way the Death Eaters mean it, Harry,' said Hermione gently. 'It means… you know… living beyond death. Living after death.'

But Arabella knew what Harry was thinking. He was thinking what she was earlier. There was no living beyond death because they were gone. No amount of empty words could disguise the fact that James and Lily were lying underneath he ground while their son stood in front of them for the first time.

Tears came to his eyes and Harry didn't bother to wipe them away. He let them fall and Arabella just gripped his hand tighter. He didn't look at her, but returned the pressure, now taking deep, sharp gulps, trying to regain control. Hermione raised her wand, moved it in a circle through the air, and a wreath of Christmas roses blossomed before them. Harry caught it and laid it on his parent's grave.

As soon as he stood up, Harry turned around and walked back toward the dark church. Hermione and Arabella followed him, the latter taking one last look back before disappearing out of sight behind the church.

**Thank you for reading! Tell me what you think!**


	14. Bathilda's Secret

**disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, just Arabella. Hope you like it! **

Bathilda's Secret

'Harry, stop,' said Hermione suddenly.

'What's wrong?'

They had just reached the grave of the unknown Abbott.

'There's someone there. Someone watching us. I can tell. There, over by the bushes.'

They stood quite still, gazing at the boundary of the graveyard. Arabella could not see anything.

'Are you sure?' Arabella asked.

'I saw something move, I could have sworn I did…'

'We look like Muggles,' said Harry.

'Muggles who've just been laying flowers on your parents' grave! I'm sure there's someone over there!'

There was a small rustle, but nothing more.

'It's a cat,' said Harry, after a second or two, 'or a bird. If it was a Death eater we'd be dead by now. But let's get out of here, and we can put the Cloak back on.'

They glanced back repeatedly as they made their way out of the graveyard. As soon as they reached the gate and the slippery pavement, Harry pulled out the Invisibility Cloak and threw it over their shoulders. They walked down a dark street leading out of the village in the opposite direction from where they entered. The passed by multi-coloured lights, shadows outlined through the curtain and –

There it was. Her house was right there. Arabella did a double take on it. She could see people moving around and a child jumping up and down. There were strangers in her house.

Harry saw a dark mass at the end of the row of houses while Arabella stayed rooted to the ground, staring at her house. It was _her _house. _Her _house. Hermione, looking slightly torn, stayed behind with Arabella, tugging her hand before slipping her fingers through Arabella's.

Arabella finally turned away from the house, wiping away the tears from her face furiously. Strangers in her house. She hated the whole lot of them.

They walked briskly to where Harry was standing in front of a ruined cottage. Without speaking, Arabella and Hermione knew what this house was and what it was to Harry. Most of the cottage was still standing, though entirely covered in snow, but the right side of the top floor had been blown apart. The three of them stood at the gate, gazing up at the wreck of what must have been a cottage just like the others.

'I wonder why nobody's ever rebuilt it?' whispered Hermione.

'Maybe you can't rebuild it?' Harry said. 'Maybe it's like the injuries from Dark Magic and you can't repair the damage?'

He took a step forward and grasped the gusted gate.

'You're not supposed to go inside? It looks unsafe, it might – oh, Harry, look!' said Hermione.

A sign had risen out of the ground in front of them and in golden letters upon the wood said:

_On this spot, on the night of 31 October 1981, Lily and James Potter lost their lives. Their son, Harry, remains the only wizard ever to have survived the Killing Curse. This house, invisible to Muggles, has been left in its ruined state as a monument to the Potters and as a reminder of the violence that tore apart their family._

There were scribbles added by witches and wizards all around the neat letters. Some have merely signed their names, others carved the initials into the wood, others left messages. The most recent were shining brightly over the others.

_Good luck, Harry, wherever you are._

_If you read this, Harry, were all behind you!_

_Long live Harry Potter._

'They shouldn't have written on the sign!' said Hermione.

'Yeah,' said Arabella. 'Especially that one.' She pointed at the second one. 'It's supposed to be W-E-apostrophe-R-E, as in we are behind you. Not that…' She stepped forward and quickly carved in an apostrophe with her wand, as it was annoying her.

But Harry beamed at them.

'It's brilliant. I'm glad they did it. I…'

He broke off and quickly threw the Invisibility Cloak over them once again. A quiet figure was hobbling up the lane toward them from the center of the square. It seemed as though it was a woman, but Arabella couldn't tell from the distance. She was moving very slowly and shuffling towards them. The three of them were watching in silence as she drew nearer. Arabella hoped she was heading towards one of the other cottages, but, at last, she came to a halt a few yards from them and simply stood there in the middle of the frozen ground, facing them as well.

There was no chance this elderly looking woman was a Muggle. She stood there gazing at the house that should have been invisible to her, if she was a Muggle. Arabella had a feeling that the elderly woman knew they were there. Coming out on a night this cold to stare at a ruined house was strange.

The elderly woman raised a hand and beckoned. Arabella's eyes widened slightly even if she was a witch, there was still no way she was able to see anyone of them under the Invisibility Cloak.

The woman beckoned again, more forcefully.

'Are you Bathilda?' Harry asked, causing Arabella and Hermione to jump and gasp.

The woman nodded and beckoned them again.

The three of them glanced at each other quickly and stepped toward the woman and, at once, she turned and hobbled off back the way they had come. Leading them past several houses, she turned in at a gate. They followed her up the front path as she fumbled for a moment with a key at the front door. She then opened it and stepped back to let them pass.

Something smelled bad. It was either the woman or her house or both. Once inside the house, Harry pulled off the Cloak. The woman closed the door behind them, then turned and peered into Harry's face.

'Bathilda?' Harry repeated.

She nodded again and shuffled past them, pushing Hermione aside as though she had not seen her, and vanished into what seemed to be a sitting room.

'Harry, I'm not sure about this,' breathed Hermione.

'Look at the size of her, I think we could overpower her if we had to,' said Harry. 'Listen, I should have said something, I knew she wasn't all there. Muriel called her 'gaga'.'

'Come!' called Bathilda from the next room.

Hermione and Arabella jumped.

'It's okay,' said Harry reassuringly and he led the way into the sitting room.

Bathilda was wobbling around the place lighting candles clumsily by hand, but it was still very dark, not to mention dirty. There was a distinct smell of spoiled meat.

'Let me do that,' offered Harry, and he took the matches from her. She stood watching him as he finished lighting the candles around the room. Arabella and Hermione, meanwhile, looked around the room, glancing distastefully at the furniture with thick dirt covering them.

'Mrs – Miss Bagshot?' Harry said, his voice shaking slightly. 'Who is this?'

Bathilda was trying to light a fire before Hermione took over.

'Miss Bagshot?' Harry repeated and he advanced on her with a picture in his hands as a fire erupted in the fireplace. 'Who is this person?' He pushed the picture forward.

Bathilda peered at it seriously, then back at Harry. Arabella looked at the picture of a young man smiling lazily up at them.

'Who is this man?' Harry repeated loudly.

'What are you doing?' Arabella asked.

'This picture is the thief, the thief who stole from Gregorovitch! Please!' he said to Bathilda. 'Who is this?'

Bathilda just stared at him.

'Why did you ask us to come with you, Mrs – Miss – Bagshot?' asked Hermione, raising her own voice. 'Was there something you wanted to tell us?'

Bathilda gave no sign she had heard Hermione. She shuffled closer to Harry. With a small jerk of her head, she looked back into the hall.

'You want us to leave?' he asked.

She repeated the gesture, this time pointing at Harry first, then at herself, then at the ceiling.

'Oh, right… I think she wants me to go upstairs with her.'

'All right,' said Hermione, 'let's go.'

But when Hermione and Arabella moved a small fraction from where they were, Bathilda shook her head aggressively, once more pointing first at Harry, then to herself.

'She wants me to go with her, alone.'

'Why?' asked Arabella, her voice raising slightly than before.

'Maybe Dumbledore told her to give the sword to me, and only me?'

'Do you really think she knows who you are?'

'Yes,' said Harry, looking down at Bathilda. 'I think she does.'

'Well, okay, then,' said Hermione, rather reluctantly, 'but be quick, Harry.'

'Lead the way,' Harry told Bathilda.

She shuffled around him toward the door. Harry tried to give them a reassuring smile, though it did not come out that way, and followed Bathilda. Hermione was looking at the bookcase while Arabella just stood in the middle of the room.

Something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong. Arabella turned and saw Hermione pick up and book and open it, flipping through the pages before turning to Arabella.

'It's not considered stealing if you're borrowing it,' said Arabella, shrugging.

'Sure, borrow,' muttered Hermione.

'What is it, anyways?' asked Arabella.

'The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore,' said Hermione, holding the book up for a second.

'What – how – but – ?'

'It's from Rita Skeeter,' said Hermione distastefully, then read from the cover, where there was a note attached. '_Dear Batty, Thanks from your help. Here's a copy of the book, hope you like it. You said everything, even if you don't remember it. Rita._'

'Wow,' said Arabella. 'Take the book. Bagshot doesn't look as though she's even fit to read anymore.'

Hermione couldn't help but agree with her as she slipping the book into her beaded bag. The stood there for a couple more seconds – it seemed like hours to both – before they heard a thud from upstairs. They glanced at each other as there was a small sound of shattered glass.

'Harry?' Hermione called.

No answer and all the worst assumptions were running through Arabella's head. Without looking at each other, Arabella and Hermione made their way up the steep and narrow stairs, holding on to each other with their wands dimly lit. They reached the upper landing and turned to the right, directly below where they were, and into a low ceiling bedroom.

Arabella's blood seemed to have run cold as a massive, great snake pinned Harry to the floor. Arabella and Hermione were rooted on their stop, dumbfounded and shock at what they were seeing. The snake sensed their presence and slid of Harry, releasing him and struck. Arabella and Hermione dived aside, shrieking.

There was a small curse that shattered the curtain windows. Arabella quickly picked up her fallen wand and held on to Hermione, gripping her hand tightly before glancing around the room. The snake was trashing around the place wildly, its tail trying to find Harry.

'Confringo!' cried Arabella.

With a loud bang and a red light, the snake flew into the air, smacking Harry in the process, but that wasn't the only thing that seemed to be hurting him.

'He's coming! _He's coming_!'

He yelled as the snake fell, hissing wildly. Everywhere and everything was in chaos. Harry dived over the bed and seized both Arabella and Hermione.

The snake reared itself again and lunged as Harry dragged Arabella and Hermione across the bed. Arabella and Hermione screamed, 'Confringo!' and their spells flew around the room, exploding something in the corner, bouncing from the floor to the ceiling. Arabella could feel the heat of the spell on her neck as something cut across her cheek.

Harry continued to pull her and Hermione, leaping from the bed, jumping off a table and straight out of the smashed window as they twisted in midair, the only thing Arabella was able to hear were Harry's screams.

**Short chapter, next one will be longer, I promise. Things are a little hectic around my house. **


	15. The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore

**disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, just Arabella. I posted a one shot called 'The Demise of the Young' where Arabella dies instead of Sirius and it tells the story of Harry's life without her. Thank you for all the kind reviews for those of you that have already read it. ****Hope you like that and this chapter :)**

The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore

Arabella opened her eyes slowly, wincing at the pounding feeling in her head with the small sting on her cheek. Her muscles was aching and burning with the slightest of movements, and her stomach was churning in agony.

'Oh, god,' moaned Arabella, arching her back off the bunk.

'Oh, Arabella,' Hermione whispered urgently. 'Are you all right? How are you feeling?'

'Yeah, I'm fine,' said Arabella, lying as she sat up slowly. _Bad idea_. She felt as though she was about to throw up as she felt bile in her throat. 'What happened?'

Arabella tried to stand, but ended up crawling out of the bunk, crouching on the ground, holding her head, covering it. It was then did she realize around her forehead was bandaged.

'Your head landed on a branch,' said Hermione gently, handing her a bottle of water. 'It wasn't _that _big, but it wasn't small either. There was some swelling and some blood at the back of your head, but I think I managed to reduce the swelling and wrapped your head up. You have a small cut on your check, but nothing too bad.'

She quickly went to the front of the tent and got Harry, who looked relived at the sight of the now awake Arabella. Arabella saw that he was using her wand.

'How long was I out for?' Arabella said feebly.

'Two days,' said Harry.

'Did any of you – you know –'

'I was out for a couple hours after we escaped,' said Harry.

'But what _happened_?' asked Arabella. 'The snake? Where did the snake come from?'

'Bathilda was the snake,' said Harry, closing his eyes for a moment.

'What?'

'She must have been dead for a while. The snake was… it was inside her. You-Know-Who put it there in Godric's Hollow, to wait. He knew I'd go back. She didn't want to talk in front of either one of you because it was all Parseltongue, and I didn't realize because I could understand her. Once we were up in the room, the snake sent a message to You-Know-Who, I heard it happen inside my head, I felt him get excited, he said to keep me there, and then… she changed into a snake and attacked.'

Arabella gagged before she knew it, Hermione brought a small bucket over and she doubled over it, emptying out her stomach. The thought of Voldemort's snake coming out of Bathilda Bagshot was not particularly something she needed to hear.

Hermione pressed a wet cloth to Arabella's forehead as Arabella laid her head on Hermione's shoulder. Arabella was shaking and was sweating considerably. She could feel it on her clothes as they all sat on the cool floor of the tent.

Harry went to her rucksack bag and pulled out a Weasley jumper and helped her into it, putting her wand on her bunk before doing so.

'Why you using my wand, Harry?'

'Mine's got broken when we were escaping the snake.'

'Anything else I should know?' Arabella said uncertainly.

'We found out who the man in the picture was,' said Harry.

Hermione got The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore from her beaded bag and returned with it. Arabella looked the cover of the book as Hermione pushed it open to her, revealing a photo of a young Dumbledore and a handsome young acquaintance, both laughing. Arabella looked at the caption, blinking her eyes a few times before her vision was focused.

_Albus Dumbledore, shortly after his mother's death, with his friend Gellert Grindelwald._

There were many things wrong with that sentence. First of all, why was Dumbledore laughing shortly after his mother's death? Arabella remembered being in a very, very bad place after the death of Kassandra, and after the death of Sirius. And second, _Grindelwald_?

'I – I don't get it,' she said slowly.

Harry left for watch while Hermione began to read the chapter for her, entitled 'The Greater Good.'

_''Now approaching his eighteenth birthday, Dumbledore left Hogwarts in a blaze of glory – Head Boy, Prefect, Winner of the Barnabus Finkley Prize for Exceptional Spell-Casting, British Youth Representative to the Wizengamot Gold Medal Winner for Ground-Breaking Contribution to the International Alchemical Conference in Cairo. Dumbledore intended, next, to take a Grand Tour with Elphias 'Dogbreath' Doge, the dim-witted but devoted sidekick he had picked up at school. _

_The two young men were staying at the Leaky Cauldron in London, preparing to depart for Greece the following morning, when an owl arrived bearing news of Dumbledore's mother's death. 'Dogbreath' Doge, who refused to be interviewed for this book, has given the public his own sentimental version of what happened next. He represents Kendra's death as a tragic blow, and Dumbledore's decision to give up his expedition as an act of noble self-sacrifice. _

_Certainly Dumbledore returned to Godric's Hollow at once, supposedly to 'care' for his younger brother and sister. But how much care did he actually give them?_

_'He were a head case, that Aberforth,' says Enid Smeek, whose family lived on the outskirts of Godric's Hollow at that time. 'Ran wild. 'Course, with his mum and dad gone you'd have felt sorry for you, only he kept chucking goat dung at my head. I don't think Albus was fussed about him, I never saw them together, anyway.'_

_So what was Albus doing, if no comforting his wild young brother? The answer, it seems, is ensuring that continued imprisonment of his sister. For, though her first jailer had died, there was no change in the pitiful condition of Ariana Dumbledore. Her very existence continued to be known only to those few outsiders who, like 'Dogbreath' Doge, could be counted upon to believe in the story of her 'ill health.'_

_Another such easily satisfied friend of the family was Bathilda Bagshot, the celebrated magical historian who has lived in Godric's Hollow for many years. Kendra, of course, had rebuffed Bathilda when she first attempted to welcome the family to the village. Several years later, however, the author sent an owl to Albus at Hogwarts, having been favourably impressed by his paper on trans-species transformation in Transfiguration Today. This initial contact led to acquaintance with the entire Dumbledore family. At the time of Kendra's death, Bathilda was the only person in Godric's Hollow who was on speaking terms with Dumbledore's mother. _

_Unfortunately, the brilliance that Bathilda exhibited earlier in her life has now dimmed. 'The fire's lit, but the cauldron's empty,' as Ivor Dillonsby put it to me, or, in Enid Smeek's slightly earthier phrase, 'She's nutty as squirrel poo.' Nevertheless, a combination of tired-and-tested reporting techniques enabled me to extract enough nuggets of hard fact to string together the whole scandalous story._

_Like the rest of the Wizarding world, Bathilda puts Kendra's premature death down to a backfiring charm, a story repeated by Albus and Aberforth in later years. Bathilda also parrots the family line on Ariana, calling her 'frail' and 'delicate.' On one subject, however, Bathilda is well worth the effort I put into procuring Veritaserum, for she, and she alone, knows the full story of the best-kept secret of Albus Dumbledore's life. Now revealed for the first time, it calls into question everything that he admirers believed of Dumbledore: his supposed hatred of the Dark Arts, his opposition to the oppression of Muggles, even his devotion to his own family. _

_The very same summer that Dumbledore went home to Godric's Hollow, now an orphan and head of the family, Bathilda Bagshot agreed to accept into her home her great-nephew, Gellert Grindelwald. _

_The name of Grindelwald is justly famous: In a list of Most Dangerous Dark Wizards of All Time, he would miss out on the top spot only because You-Know-Who arrived, a generation later, to steal his crown. As Grindelwald never extended his campaign of terror to Britain, however, the details of his rise to power are not widely known here. _

_Educated at Drumstrang, a school famous even then for its unfortunate tolerance of the Dark Arts, Grindelwald showed himself quite as precociously brilliant as Dumbledore. Rather than channel his abilities into the attainment of awards and prizes, however, Gellert Grindelwald devoted himself to other pursuits. At sixteen years old, even Drumstrang felt it could no longer turn a blind eye to the twisted experiments of Gellert Grindelwald, and he was expelled. _

_Hitherto, all that has been known of Grindelwald's next movements is that he 'traveled abroad for some months.' It can now be revealed that Grindelwald chose to visit his great-aunt in Godric's Hollow, and that there, intensely shocking though it will be for many to hear, he struck up a close friendship with none other than Albus Dumbledore. _

_'He seemed a charming boy to me,' babbles Bathilda, 'whatever he becomes later. Naturally I introduced him to poor Albus, who was missing the company of lads his own age. The boys took to each other at once.'_

_The certainly did. Bathilda shows me a letter, kept by her, that Albus Dumbledore sent Gellert Grindelwald in the dead of the night. _

_'Yes, even after they'd spent all day in discussion – both such brilliant boys, they got on like a cauldron on fire – I'd sometime hear an owl tapping at Gellert's bedroom window, delivering a letter from Albus! An idea would have struck him, and he had to let Gellert know immediately!'_

_And what ideas they were. Profoundly shocking though Albus Dumbledore's fans will find it, here are the thoughts of their seventeen-year-old hero as relayed to his new best friend. (A copy of the original letter may be seen on page 463.)_

_Gellert – _

_Your point about Wizard dominance being FOR THE MUGGLE'S OWN GOOD – this, I think, is the crucial point. Yes, we have been given power and yes, that power gives us the right to rule, but it also gives us responsibilities over the rules. We must stress this point, it will be the foundation stone upon which we build. Where we are opposed, as we surely will be, this must be the basis of all our counterarguments. We seize control FOR THE GREATER GOOD. And from this it follows that where we meet resistance, we must use only the force that is necessary and no more. (This was your mistake at Drumstrang! But I do not complain, because if you have not been expelled, we would never have met.)_

_ Albus_

_Astonished and appalled though his many admirers will be, this letter constitutes proof that Albus Dumbledore once dreamed of overthrowing the Statue of Secrecy and establishing Wizard rule over Muggles. What a blow for those who have always portrayed Dumbledore as the Muggle-borns' greatest champion! How hollow those speeches promoting Muggle rights seem in the light of this damning new evidence! How despicable does Albus Dumbledore appear, busy plotting his rise to power when he should have been morning his mother and caring for his sister!_

_No doubt those determined to keep Dumbledore on his crumbling pedestal will bleat that he did not, after all, put his plans into action, that he must have suffered a change of heart, that he came to his senses. However, the truth seems altogether more shocking. _

_Barely two months into their great new friendship, Dumbledore and Grindelwald parted, never to see each other again until they met for their legendary duel (for more, see chapter 22). What caused this abrupt rupture? _Had _Dumbledore come to his senses? Had he told Grindelwald he wanted no more part in his plans? Alas, no._

_ 'It was poor little Ariana dying, I think, that did it,' said Bathilda. 'It came as an awful shock. Gellert was there in the house when it happened, and he came back to my house all of dither, told me he wanted to go home the next day. Terribly distressed, you know. So I arranged a Portkey and that was the last I saw of him. _

_'Albus was beside himself at Ariana's death. It was so dreadful for those two brothers. They had lost everybody except each other. No wonder tempers tan a little high. Aberforth blamed Albus, you know, as people will under these dreadful circumstances. But Aberforth always talked a little madly, poor boy. All the same, breaking Albus's nose at the funeral was not decent. It was not decent. It would have destroyed Kendra to see her sons fighting like that, across her daughter's body. A shame Gellert could not have stayed for the funeral… He would have been a comfort to Albus, at least…'_

_This dreadful coffin-side brawl, known only to those few who attended Ariana Dumbledore's funeral, raises several questions. Why exactly did Aberforth Dumbledore blame Albus for his sister's death? Was it, as 'Batty' pretends, a mere effusion of grief? Or could there have been some more concrete reason for his fury? Grindelwald, expelled from Drumstrang for near-fatal attacks upon fellow student, fled the country hours after the girl's death, and Albus (out of shame or fear?) never saw him again, not until forced to do so by the pleas of the Wizarding world. _

_Neither Dumbledore nor Grindelwald ever seems to have referred this this brief boyhood friendship in later life. However, there can be no doubt that Dumbledore delayed, for some five years of turmoil, fatalities, and disappearances, his attack upon Gellert Grindelwald. Was it lingering affection for the man or fear of exposure as his once best friend that caused Dumbledore to hesitate? Was it only reluctantly that Dumbledore set out to capture the man he was once so delighted he had met?_

_And how did they mysterious Ariana die? Was she the inadvertent victim of some Dark rite? Did she stumble across something she ought not to have done, as the two young men sat practicing for their attempt at glory and domination? Is it possible that Ariana Dumbledore was the first person to die 'for the greater good'?''_

Arabella leaned forward on the bucket. Her stomach heaved as Hermione read Rita Skeeter's words to her.

'This – This can't be real,' breathed Arabella, her fingers in her hair. 'That letter… please tell me it's made up. Please tell me it's all made up…'

'The letter's the worst bit,' said Hermione, sighing. 'Bathilda thought it was all talk, but 'For the Greater Good' became Grindelwald's slogan, his defence for all the wrong he had committed later in his life.'

'Seems as though Dumbledore gave it to him,' said Arabella bitterly.

'They say 'For the Greater Good' was carved over the entrance to 'Nurmengard'.'

'Isn't that some sort of prison or something?'

'It's the prison Grindelwald had built to hold his opponents. He ended up there himself, once Dumbledore had caught him. It's awful to think that it was Dumbledore's ideas that helped Grindelwald rise to power. But on the other hand, they knew each other for a few months one summer when they were both really young –'

'We are the same age as them,' said Arabella, shaking her head, bits of her hand falling on her barf. 'Look at us, look at what we're doing. We're fight Dark Arts while he was plotting to rise over the Muggles –'

'Harry said the same thing,' commented Hermione. 'In more words or less, he said the same thing. I'm not here trying to defend what Dumbledore wrote, all that nonsense is the same thing as what the Ministry is trying to do now, but, Arabella, his mother had just died, he was stuck alone in the house – Sound familiar?'

'Are you – how dare – I am nothing like that! I would never plot the downfall of Muggle with someone who I thought was my friend, and –'

'People are never the same after losing a parent,' said Hermione gently. 'You and Dumbledore had more in common than you might have known. Are you saying you're the same after Sirius died?'

Arabella was baffled. 'This is not about me, Hermione. This is about Dumbledore, the man who we thought was fighting for the Muggles –'

'But he changed, Arabella, he changed,' said Hermione, 'just like you did –'

'Don't drag me into –'

'Fine! He might have believed in all of this when he was seventeen but he spent the rest of his life fighting the Dark Arts. He was the one who stopped Grindelwald, the one who always voted for Muggle protection and Muggle-born rights, who fought You-Know-Who from the start, and who died trying to bring him down! You're just angry because he reminds you of yourself.'

'I did not all of a sudden start to plot the downfall of Muggles, okay? Let's get that straight. I never went over to You-Know-Who's side or anything like that –'

'Everyone's not in their right mind when they're seventeen, Arabella,' said Hermione in a tired voice. 'Everybody makes mistakes.'

Hermione then opened Arabella's clenched fists, revealing the scars she had acquired after Sirius's funeral.

'He was a good person in the end,' said Hermione. 'He never turned out like Grindelwald or You-Know-Who.'

* * *

It was snowing by the time Hermione took over the watch at midnight. Harry had stumbled in, looking tired as he lay down on the bunk next to her. They had both told Arabella numerous times that she wasn't fit to be on watch just yet. But as she lay there, feeling a bit useless, Arabella could have sworn she heard something out in the forest.

'We have to go somewhere more sheltered,' said Hermione. 'I kept thinking I could hear people moving outside. I even thought I saw somebody once or twice.'

Arabella paused at her movements of doing nothing as she glanced at the motionless Sneakoscope on the table.

'I'm sure I imagined it,' said Hermione, looking nervous. 'The snow in the dark plays tricks on your eyes… But perhaps we ought to Disapparate under the Invisibility Cloak, just in case?'

Half an hour later, with the tent packed, Harry wearing the Horcrux, they Disapparated.

'Where are we?' asked Harry as Hermione opened the beaded bag and tugged out tent poles.

'The Forest of Dean,' she said. 'I came camping here once with my mum and dad.'

They spent most of the days inside the tent. Hermione had insisted on mothering her as she laid more blankets than necessary on the sickly looking Arabella, who claimed to be getting better and who claimed that it was her time to take watch once again. Hermione would have none of that. Harry gave her small smiles whenever she lost arguments with Hermione, as she usually doubled over in some sort of pain.

'She just cares about you,' said Harry, sitting next to her bunk for a while.

'I feel so useless,' Arabella sighed.

Harry laid a hand on Arabella's forehead frowning at the warmness.

'You are a bit hot,' he said slowly.

'Well, I guess hitting my head on a branch during winter wasn't exactly the best,' said Arabella sarcastically.

'There was blood on the snow,' said Harry quietly. 'I helped Hermione change the bandages because you kept bleeding.'

Arabella shuffled uncomfortably where she was sitting. 'Me and Hermione would have less arguments if she just did that to me, you know.'

Harry smiled at her before leaning in and quickly giving her a peck on the lips.

'Go to sleep,' he said as Arabella stared at him with wide eyes, shocked. 'You'll need it for when you're actually on watch.'

**Thank you for reading. **


	16. The Silver Doe

**disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, just Arabella. This chapter is in Harry's POV. *sighing deeply* I mostly wrote this chapter because of the scene with Ron and the Horcrux. This will probably be the last Harry POV until the very last book. Maybe. Not sure. We shall see. Hope you like it!**

The Silver Doe

Harry moved an old cushion into the tent mouth and sat down, wearing all the sweaters he owned but even so, still shivery. They darkness deepened with the passing hours until it was virtually impenetrable.

Several times he jerked upright, his neck aching because he had fallen asleep, slumped at an awkward angle against the side of the tent. The night reached such a depth of velvety blackness that he might have been suspended in limbo between Disapparition and Apparition. He had just held up a hand in front of his face to see whether he could make out his fingers when it happened.

A bright silver light appeared right ahead of him, moving through the trees. Whatever the source, it was moving soundlessly. The light seemed simply to drift toward him.

He jumped to his feet, his voice frozen in his throat, and raised Arabella's wand. He screwed up his eyes as the light became blinding, the trees in front of it pitch-black in silhouette, and still the thing came closer…

And then the source of the light stepped out from behind an oak. It was a sliver-white doe, moon-bright and dazzling, picking her way over the ground, still silent, and leaving no hoof prints in the fine powdering of snow. She stepped toward him, her beautiful head with its wide, long-lashes eyes held high.

Harry stared at the creature, filled with wonder, not at her strangeness, but at her inexplicable familiarity. He felt that he had been waiting for her to come, but he had forgotten, until this moment, that they had arranged to meet. His impulse to shout for Hermione or even sickly Arabella had gone. He knew, he would staked his life on it, that she had come for him, and him alone.

They gazed at each other for several long moments and then she turned and walked away.

'No,' he said, and his voice was cracked with lack of use. 'Come back!'

She continued to step deliberately through the trees, and soon her brightness was striped by their thick black trunks. For one trembling second he hesitated. Caution murmured it could be a trick, a lure, a trap. But instinct, overwhelming instinct, told him that this was not Dark Magic. He set off in pursuit.

Snow crunched beneath his feet, but the doe made no noise as she passed through the trees, for she was nothing but light. Deeper and deeper into the forest she led him, and Harry walked quickly, sure that when she stopped, she would allow him to approach her properly. And then she would speak and the voice would tell him what he needed to know.

At last, she came to a halt. She turned her beautiful head toward him once more, and he broke into a run, a question burning in him, but as he opened his lips to ask it, she vanished.

Through the darkness had swallowed her whole, her burnished image was still imprinted on his retinas, it obscured his vision, brightened when he lowered his eyelids, disorienting him. Now fear came. Her presence had meant safety.

'Lumos!' he whispered, and the wand-tip ignited.

The watermark of the doe faded away with every blink if his eyes as he stood there, listening to the sounds of the forest, to distant crackles of twigs, soft swishes of snow. Was he about to be attacked? Had she enticed him into an ambush? Was he imagining that somebody stood beyond the reach of the wandlight, watching him?

He held the wand higher. Nobody ran out at him, no flash of green light burst from behind a tree. Why, then, had she led him to this spot?

Something gleamed in the light of the wand, and Harry spun about, but all that was there was a small, frozen pool, its cracked black surface glittering as he raised the wand higher to examine it.

He moved forward rather cautiously and looked down. The ice reflected his distorted shadow and the beam of wandlight, but deep below the thick, misty gray carapace, something else glinted. A great silver cross.

His heart skipped into his mouth. He dropped to his knees at the pool's edge and angled the wand so as to flood that bottom of the pool with as much light as possible. A glint of deep red… It was a sword with glittering rubies in its hilt… The sword of Gryffindor was lying at the bottom of the forest pool.

Barely breathing, he stared down at it. How was this possible? How could it have come to be lying in a forest pool, this close to the place where they were camping? He pointed the wand at the silvery shape and murmured, 'Accio Sword.'

It did not stir. He had not expected it to. If it had been that easy, the sword would have lain on the ground for him to pick up, not in the depths of a frozen pool. He set off around the circle of ice, thinking hard about the last time the sword had delivered itself to him. He had been in terrible danger then, and had asked for help.

'Help,' he murmured, but the sword remained upon the pool bottom, motionless.

What was it, Harry asked himself, that Dumbledore had told him the last time he had retrieved the sword? _Only a true Gryffindor could have pulled _that_ out of the hat_. And what were the qualities that defined a Gryffindor? A small voice inside Harry's head answered him: _Their daring, nerve, and chivalry set Gryffindor apart_.

Harry stopped walking and let out a long sigh. He knew what he had to do. If he was honest with himself, he had thought it might come to this from the moment he had spotted the sword through the ice.

He glanced around at the surrounding trees, but was convinced now that nobody was going to attack him. They had had their chance as he walked alone through the forest, had had plenty of opportunity as he examined the pool. The only reason to delay at this point was because the immediate prospect was so deeply uninviting.

With fumbling fingers Harry started to remove his many layers of clothing. He was shivering now, his teeth chattering horribly, and yet he continued to strip off until at last he stood there in his underwear, barefooted in the snow. He placed the pouch containing his wand, his mother's letter, the shard of Sirius's mirror, and the old Snitch on top of his cloths, then pointed Arabella's wand at the ice.

'Diffindo.'

It cracked. The surface of the pool broke and chunks of dark ice rocked on the ruffled water. As far as Harry could judge, it was deep, but to the retrieve the sword completely.

Contemplating the task ahead would not make it easier or the water warmer. He stepped to the pool's edge and placed Arabella's wand on the ground, still lit. Then, trying not to imagine how much colder he was about to become or hoe violently he would soon be shivering, he jumped.

Every pore of his body screamed in protest. The very air in his lungs seemed to freeze solid as he was submerged to his shoulders in the frozen water. He could hardly breathe, trembling so violently the water lapped over the edges of the pool, he felt for the blade with his numb feet. He only wanted to div once.

Harry put off the moment of total submersion from second to second, gasping and shaking, until he told himself that it must be done, gathered all his courage and dived.

The cold was agony. It attacked him like fire. His brain itself seemed to have frozen as he pushed through the dark water to the bottom and reached out, groping for the sword. He fingers closed around the hilt. He pulled it upward.

Then something closed tight around his neck. He thought of water weeds, though nothing had brushed him as he dived, and raised him empty hand to free himself. It was not weed. The chain of the Horcurx had tightened and was slowly constricting his windpipe.

Harry kicked out wildly, trying to push himself back to the surface, but merely propelled himself into the rocky side of the pool. Trashing, suffocating, he scrambled at the strangling chain, his frozen fingers unable to loosen it, and now little lights were popping inside his head, and he was going to drown, there was nothing left, nothing he could do, and the arms that closed around his chest were surely Death's…

Choking and retching, soaking and colder than he had ever been in his life, he came to face down in the snow. Somewhere close by, another person was panting and coughing and staggering around.

Harry had no strength to lift his head and see his saviour's identity. All he could do was raise a shaking hand to his throat and feel the place where the locket had cut tightly into his flesh. It was gone: Someone had cut him free. Then a panting voice spoke from over his head.

'Are – you – _mental_?'

Nothing but the shock of haring that voice could have given Harry the strength to get up. Shivering violently, he staggered to his feet. There before him stood Ron, fully dressed but drenched to the skin, his hair plastered to his face, the sword of Gryffindor in one hand and the Horcrux dangling from its broken chain in the other.

'Why the _hell_,' panted Ron, holding up the Horcrux, which swung backward and forward on its shortened chain in some parody of hypnosis, 'didn't you take this thing off before you dived?'

Harry could not answer. The silver doe was nothing, nothing compared with Ron's reappearance. He could not believe it. Shuddering with cold, he caught up the pile of clothes still lying at the water's edge and began to pull them on. As he dragged sweater after sweater over his head, Harry stared at Ron, half expecting him to have disappeared every time he lost sight of him, and yet he had to be real. He had just dived into the pool, he had saved Harry's life.

'It was y-you?' Harry said at last, his teeth chattering, his voice weaker than usual due to his near-strangulation.

'Well, yeah,' said Ron, looking slightly confused.

'Y-you cast that doe?'

'What? No, of course not! I thought it was you doing it!'

'My Patronus is a stag.'

'Oh yeah. I thought it looked different. No antlers.'

Harry put Hagrid's pouch back around his neck, pulled on a final sweater, stopped to pick up Arabella's wand, and face Ron again.

'How come you're here?'

Apparently Ron had hoped that this point would come up later, if at all.

'Well, I've – you know – I've come back. If –' He cleared his throat. 'You know. You still want me.'

There was a pause, in which the subject of Ron's departure seemed to rise like a wall between them. Yet he was here. He had returned. He had just saved Harry's life.

Ron looked down at his hands. He seemed momentarily surprised to see the things he was holding.

'Oh yeah, I got it out,' he said, rather unnecessarily, holding up the sword for Harry's inspection. 'That's why you jumped in, right?'

'Yeah,' said Harry. 'But I don't understand. How did you get here? How did you find us?'

'Long story,' said Ron. 'I've been looking for you for hours, it's a big forest, isn't it? And I was just thinking I'd have to kip under a tree and wait for morning when I saw that deer coming and you following.'

'You didn't see anyone else?'

'No,' said Ron. 'I –'

But he hesitated, glancing at two trees growing close together some yards away.

'I did think I saw something move over there, but I was running to the pool at the time, because you'd gone in and you hadn't come up, so I wasn't going to make a detour to — hey!'

Harry was already hurrying to the place Ron had indicated. The two oaks grew close together; there was a gap of only a few inches between the trunks at eye level, an ideal place to see but not be seen.

The ground around the roots, however, was free of snow, and Harry could see no sign of footprints. He walked back to where Ron stood waiting, still holding the sword and the Horcrux.

'Anything there?' Ron asked.

'No,' said Harry.

'So how did the sword got in that pool?'

'Whoever cast the Patronus must have put it there.'

They both looked at the ornate silver sword, its rubied hilt glinting a little in the light from Arabella's wand.

'You reckon this is the real one?' asked Ron.

'One way to find out, isn't there?' said Harry.

The Horcrux was still swinging from Ron's hand. The locket was twitching slightly. Harry knew that the thing inside it was agitated again. It had sensed the presence of the sword and had tried to kill Harry rather than let him possess it. Now was not the time for long discussions. Not was the moment to destroy the locket once and for all. Harry looked around, holding Hermione's wand high, and saw the place. A flattish rock lying in the shadow of a sycamore tree.

'Come here,' he said, and he led the way, brushed snow from the rock's surface, and held out his hand for the Horcrux. When Ron offered the sword, however, Harry shook his head.

'No, you should do it.'

'Me?' said Ron, looking shocked. 'Why?'

'Because you got the sword out of the pool. I think it's supposed to be you.'

He was not being kind or generous. As certainly as he had known that the doe was benign, he knew that Ron had to be the one to wield the sword. Dumbledore had at least taught Harry something about certain kinds of magic, of the incalculable power of certain acts.

'I'm going to open it,' said Harry, 'and you stab it. Straightaway, okay? Because whatever's in there will put up a fight. The bit of Riddle in the diary tried to kill me.'

'How are you going to open it?' asked Ron. He looked terrified.

'I'm going to ask it to open, using Parseltongue,' said Harry. The answer came so readily to his lips that he thought that he had always known it deep down. Perhaps it had taken his recent encounter with Nagini to make him realize it. He looked at the serpentine _S_, inlaid with glittering green stones. It was easy to visualize it as a minuscule snake, curled upon the cold rock.

'No!' said Ron. 'No, don't open it! I'm serious!'

'Why not?' asked Harry. 'Let's get rid of the damn thing, it's been months —'

'I can't, Harry, I'm serious — you do it —'

'But why?'

'Because that thing's bad for me!' said Ron, backing away from the locket on the rock. 'I can't handle it! I'm not making excuses, Harry, for what I was like, but it affects me worse than it affected you and Hermione and Arabella, it made me think stuff — stuff I was thinking anyway, but it made everything worse, I can't explain it, and then I'd take it off and I'd get my head on straight again, and then I'd have to put the effing thing back on — I can't do it, Harry!'

He had backed away, the sword dragging at his side, shaking his head.

'You can do it,' said Harry, 'you can! You've just got the sword, I know it's supposed to be you who uses it. Please, just get rid of it, Ron.'

The sound of his name seemed to act like a stimulant, then, still breathing hard through his long nose, moved back toward the rock.

'Tell me when,' he croaked.

'On three,' said Harry, looking back down at the locket and narrowing his eyes, concentrating on the letter _S_, imagining a serpent, while the contents of the locket rattles like a trapped cockroach. It would have been easy to pity it, except that the cut around Harry's neck still burned.

'One… two… three… _open_.'

The last word came as a hiss and a snarl and the golden doors of the locket swung wide with a little click.

Behind both of the glass windows within blinked a living eyes, dark and handsome as Ton Riddle's eyes had been before he turned them scarlet and slit-pupiled.

'Stab,' said Harry, holding the locket steady on the rock.

Ron raised the sword in his shaking hands. The point dangled over the frantically swiveling eyes, and Harry gripped the locket tightly, bracing himself, already imagining blood pouring from the empty windows.

Then a voice hissed from out of the Horcrux.

'_I have seen your heart, and it is mine._'

'Don't listen to it!' Harry said harshly. 'Stab it!'

'_I have seen your dreams, Ronald Weasley, and I have seen your fears. All you desire is possible, but all that you dread is also possible…'_

'Stab!' shouted Ron, his voice echoed off the surrounding trees, the sword point trembled, and Ron gazed down into Riddle's eyes.

Out of the locket's two windows, out of the eyes, there bloomed like a grotesque bubble, the head of Arabella, weirdly distorted.

Ron yelled in shock and backed away as her figure blossomed out of the locket, first chest, then waist, then legs, until she stood in the locket, swaying over Ron and Harry, who had snatched his fingers away from the locket as it burned, suddenly, white-hot.

'Ron!' he shouted, but the Riddle-Arabella was now speaking with Voldemort's voice and Ron was gazing, mesmerized, into its face.

'_Least loved, always, by the mother who craved a daughter…' _she said with a cruel smile. She was more beautiful and more terrible than the real Arabella. She cackled and swayed with each word. '_Least loved, now, by the girl who prefers your friend… Second best, always eternally overshadowed… Who would want a friend like you? Who would _ever _consider you a brother?'_

Then, behind Riddle-Arabella, came Harry and Hermione, encircling around Arabella flocking around her.

'Ron!' Harry shouted once again, but his voice was drowned out by Riddle-Harry's.

_'Why return? We were better without you, happier without you, glad of your absence… We laughed at your stupidity, your cowardice, your presumption –'_

_'Presumption_!' echoed the Riddle-Hermione, who, like Arabella, was more beautiful and even more terrible than the real one. Ron looked horrified yet transfixed, the sword handing pointlessly at his side. '_Who could look at you, who would ever look at you, beside Harry Potter? What have you ever done, compared with the Chosen One? What are you, compared with the Boy Who Lived?'_

'Ron, stab it, STAB IT!' Harry yelled, but Ron did not move. His eyes were wide, and the Riddle-Harry, the Riddle-Arabella, and the Riddle-Hermione were reflected in them, their hair swirling like flames, their eyes shining red, their voices lifted in an evil trio.

'_Your mother confessed,_' sneered Riddle-Harry, while Riddle-Arabella and Riddle-Hermione jeered, '_that she would have preferred me as a son, would be glad to exchange…'_

'_Who wouldn't prefer him,' _crooned Riddle-Arabella as she went to Riddle-Harry's other side, so he stood in between her and Riddle-Hermione. She tangled her fingers in his hair, stroking her chest and gazing at him with adoration.

'_What woman would take you, you are nothing, nothing, nothing to him,' _warbled Hermione. And she brought Riddle-Harry's face closer to her with their lips meeting in a kiss.

On the ground in front of them, Ron's face filled with anguish. He raised the sword high, his arms shaking.

'Do it, Ron!' Harry yelled.

Ron looked toward him, and Harry thought he saw a trace of scarlet in his eyes.

'Ron –?'

The sword flashed, plunged. Harry threw himself out of the way, there was a clang of metal and a long, drawn-out scream. Harry whirled around, slipping in the snow, wand held ready to defend himself. But there was nothing to fight.

The monstrous versions of himself, Arabella and Hermione were gone. There was only Ron, standing there with the sword held slackly in his hand, looking down at the shattered remains of the locket on the flat rock.

Slowly, Harry walked back to him, hardly knowing what to say or do. Ron was breathing heavily. His eyes were no longer red at all, but their normal blue. They were also wet.

Harry stopped, pretending he had not seen, and picked up the broken Horcrux. Ron had pierced the glassed in both windows. Riddle's eyes were gone, and the stained silk lining of the locket was smoking slightly. The thing that had lived in the Horcrux had vanished. Torturing Ron had been its final act.

The sword clanged as Ron dropped it. He had sunk to his knees, his head in his arms. He was shaking, but not, Harry realized, from cold. Harry crammed the broken locket into his pocket, knelt down beside Ron, and placed a hand cautiously on his shoulder. He took it as a good sign that Ron did not throw it off.

'After you left,' he said in a low voice, grateful for the fact that Ron's face was hidden, 'Hermione cried for a week. Probably longer, only she didn't want us to see. There were loads of nights when we never even spoke to each other. With you gone...'

He could not finish; it was only now that Ron was here again that Harry fully realized how much his absence had cost them.

'She's like my sister,' he went on. 'I love her like a sister and I reckon she feels the same way about me. It's always been like that. I thought you knew.'

Ron did not respond, but turned his face away from Harry and wiped his nose noisily on his sleeve. Harry got to his feet again and walked to where Ron's enormous rucksack lay yards away, discarded as Ron had run toward the pool to save Harry from drowning. He hoisted it onto his own back and walked back to Ron, who clambered to his feet as Harry approached, eyes bloodshot but otherwise composed.

'I'm sorry,' he said in a thick voice. 'I'm sorry I left. I know I was a – a –'

He looked around at the darkness, as if hoping a bag enough word would swoop down upon him and claim him.

'You've sort of made up for it tonight,' said Harry. 'Getting the sword. Finishing off the Horcrux. Saving my life.'

'That makes me sound a lot cooler than I was,' Ron mumbled.

'Stuff like that always sounds cooler than it really was,' said Harry. 'I've been trying to tell you that for years.'

Simultaneously they walked forward and hugged, Harry gripping the still-sopping back of Ron's jacket.

'And now,' said Harry as they broke apart, 'all we've got to do is find the tent again.'

But it was not difficult. Though the walk through the dark forest with the doe had seemed lengthy, with Ron by his side the journey back seemed to take a surprisingly short time. Harry could not wait to wake Hermione and Arabella, and it was with quickening excitement that he walked towards the tent, Ron lagging a little behind him.

He could hear their panicked voices behind the coverings. Their bickering brought a smile to his face.

'I don't know where he is, Hermione!' Arabella's voice ringing out of the tent, her voice hoarse with a fever that came to her days ago. She sniffed loudly before continuing one, 'I woke up at the same time as you!'

'Well, he couldn't have just _left_,' came Hermione's own voice. 'All his stuff is here! Do you think something happened to him? He's probably hurt out in the forest, probably cold or –'

'Or outside the tent, waiting for the two of you,' said Harry.

He smiled as Hermione and Arabella ripped open the flaps of the tent, each toppling out in a mad rush. Arabella was wrapped in a blanket with many sweaters and her nose was red. Hermione was speaking frantically.

'Honestly, Harry, you shouldn't just leave like that, and at least leave a note or –'

She saw Ron, who stood there holding the sword. Harry backed away, standing next to Arabella and smiling towards her. She was holding on to her blanket with one hand and Hermione's with the other. She gawked at Ron with wide eyes and a slightly runny nose.

Hermione moved like a sleepwalker toward Ron, her eyes upon his pale face. She stopped right in front of him, her lips slightly parted, her eyes wide. Ron gave a weak, hopeful smile and half raised his arms.

Hermione launched herself forward and started punching every inch of him that she could reach.

'Ouch – ow – gerrof! What the –? Hermione – OW!'

'You – complete – _arse – _Ronald – Weasley!'

She punctuated every word with a blow: Ron backed away, shielding his head as Hermione advanced.

'You – crawl – back – here – after weeks – and – weeks – oh, _where's my wand_?'

She looked as though she was ready to wrestle it out of Arabella's hands and Harry reacted instinctively.

'Protego!'

The invisible shield erupted between Ron and Hermione. The force of it knocked her backward onto the floor. Spitting hair out of her mouth, she leapt up again.

'Hermione!' said Harry, 'Calm –'

'I will not calm down!' she screamed. Never before had he seen her lose control like this. She looked quite demented. 'Give me back my wand! _Give it back to me_!'

'Hermione, will you please –'

'Don't you tell me what to do, Harry Potter!' she screeched. 'Don't you dare! Give it back now! And YOU!'

She was pointing at Ron in dire accusation. It was like a malediction, and Harry could not blame Ron for retreating several steps.

'I came running after you! I called you! I begged you to come back!'

'I know,' said Ron, 'Hermione, I'm sorry, I'm really –'

'Oh, you're _sorry_!'

She laughed, a high-pitched, out-of-control sound. Ron looked at Harry for help, but Harry merely grimaced his helplessness.

'You come back after weeks – _weeks_ – and you think it's all going to be all right if you just say _sorry_?'

'Well, what else can I say?' Ron shouted, and Harry was glad that Ron was fighting back.

'Oh, I don't know!' yelled Hermione with awful sarcasm. 'Rack your brains, Ron, that should only take a couple of seconds –'

'Hermione,' interjected Harry, who considered this a low blow, 'he just saved my –'

'I don't care!' she screamed. 'I don't care what he's done! Weeks and weeks, we could have been _dead_ for all he knew –'

'I knew you weren't dead!' bellowed Ron, drowning her voice for the first time, and approaching as close as he could with the Shield Charm between them. 'Harry's all over the Prophet, all over the radio, they're looking for you everywhere, all these rumors and mental stories, I know I'd heard straight off if you were dead, you don't know what it's been like –'

'What it's been like for _you_?'

Her voice was now so shrill only bats would be able to hear it soon, but she had reached a level of indignation that rendered her temporarily, and Ron seized his opportunity.

'I wanted to come back the minute I'd Disapparated, but I walked straight into a gang of Snatchers, Hermione, and I couldn't go anywhere!'

'A gang of what?' asked Harry, as Arabella let out a loud sneeze that made him jump in fright. 'Let's go inside, then.'

The four of them walked inside, Hermione first, throwing herself into a chair with her arms and legs crossed tightly. Harry had put up the protective shield once more, not wanting to take any chances while Arabella sat quietly on her bunk, still looking at Ron in shock.

'Snatchers,' said Ron once inside. 'They're everywhere – gangs trying to earn gold by rounding up Muggle-borns and blood traitors, there's a reward from the Ministry for everyone captured. I was on my own and I looked like I might be school age. They got really excited, thought I was a Muggle-born in hiding. I had to talk fast to get out of being dragged to the Ministry.'

'What did you say to them?'

'Told them I was Stan Shunpike. First person I could think of.'

'And they believed that?'

'They weren't the brightest. One of them was definitely part troll, the smell off him…'

Ron glanced at Hermione, clearly hopeful she might soften at this small instance of humor, but her expression remained stony above her tightly knotted limbs.

'Anyway, they had a row about whether I was Stan or not. It was a bit pathetic to be honest, but there were still five of them and only one of me and they'd taken my wand. Then two of them got into a fight and while the others were distracted I managed to hit the one holding me in the stomach, grabbed his wand, Disarmed the bloke holding mine, and Disapparated. I didn't do it so well, Splinched myself again' – Ron held up his right hand to show two missing fingernails. Hermione raised her eyebrows coldly –'and I came out miles from where you were. By the time I got back to that bit of riverbank where we'd been… you'd gone.'

'Gosh, what a gripping story,' Hermione said in a lofty voice. 'You must have been simply terrified. Meanwhile we went to Godric's Hollow and, let's think, what happened there? Oh yeah, You-Know-Who's snake turned up, it nearly killed the three of us, and then You-Know-Who himself arrived and missed us by about a second.'

'What?' Ron said, gaping from her to Arabella to Harry, but Hermione ignored him.

'Imagine, losing fingernails! That really puts our sufferings into perspective, doesn't it?'

'Hermione,' said Harry quietly, 'Ron just saved my life.'

She appeared not to have heard him.

'One thing I would like to know, though,' she said, fixing her eyes on a spot a foot over Ron's head. 'How exactly did you find us tonight? That's important. Once we know, we'll be able to make sure we're not visited by anyone else we don't want to see.'

Ron glared at her, then pulled a small silver object from his jeans pocket.

'This.'

She had to look at Ron to see what he was showing them.

'The Deluminator?' she asked, so surprised she forgot to look cold and fierce.

'It doesn't just turn the lights on and off,' said Ron. 'I don't know how it works or why it happened then and not any other time, because I've been wanting to come back ever since I left. But I was listening to the radio really early on Christmas morning and I heard ... I heard you.'

He was looking at Hermione.

'You heard me on the radio?' she asked incredulously.

'No, I heard you coming out of my pocket. Your voice,' he held up the Deluminator again, 'came out of this.'

'And what exactly did I say?' asked Hermione, her tone somewhere between skepticism and curiosity.

'My name. 'Ron.' And you said… something about a wand…'

Hermione turned a fiery shade of scarlet. Harry remembered. It had been the first time Ron's name had been said aloud by any of them since the day he had left. Hermione had mentioned it when talking about repairing Harry's wand.

'So I took it out,' Ron went on, looking at the Deluminator, 'and it didn't seem different or anything, but I was sure I'd heard you. So I clicked it. And the light went out in my room, but another light appeared right outside the window.'

Ron raised his empty hand and pointed in front of him, his eyes focused on something none of them could see.

'It was a ball of light, kind of pulsing, and bluish, like that light you got around a Portkey, you know?'

'Yeah,' said Harry and Hermione. Arabella sneezed but she nodded.

'I knew this was it,' said Ron. 'I grabbed my stuff and packed it, then I put on my rucksack and went out into the garden. The little ball of light was hovering there, waiting for me, and when I came out it bobbed along a bit and I followed it behind the shed and then it… well, it went inside me.'

'Sorry?' said Harry, sure he had not heard correctly.

'It sort of floated toward me,' said Ron, illustrating the movement with his free index finger, 'right to my chest, and then – it just went straight through. It was here,' he touched a point close to his heart, 'I could feel it, it was hot. And once it was inside me I knew what I was supposed to do, I knew it would take me where I needed to go. So I Disapparated and came out on the side of a hill. There was snow everywhere…'

'We were there,' said Harry. 'We spent two nights there, and the second night I kept thinking I could hear someone moving around in the dark and calling out!'

'Yeah, well, that would've been me,' said Ron. 'Your protective spells work, anyway, because I couldn't see you and I couldn't hear you. I was sure you were around, though, so in the end I got in my sleeping bag and waited for one of you to appear. I thought you'd have to show yourselves when you packed up the tent.'

'No, actually,' said Hermione. 'We've been Disapparating under the Invisibility Cloak as an extra precaution. And we left really early, because, as Harry says, we'd heard somebody blundering around.'

'Well, I stayed on that hill all day,' said Ron. 'I kept hoping you'd appear. But when it started to get dark I knew I must have missed you, so I clicked the Deluminator again, the blue light came out and went inside me, and I Disapparated and arrived here in these woods. I still couldn't see you, so I just had to hope one of you would show yourselves in the end — and Harry did. Well, I saw the doe first, obviously.'

'You saw the what?' said Hermione sharply.

They explained what had happened, and as the story of the silver doe and the sword in the pool unfolded, Hermione frowned from one to the other of them, concentrating so hard she forgot to keep her limbs locked together.

'But it must have been a Patronus!' she said. 'Couldn't you see who was casting it? Didn't you see anyone? And it led you to the sword! I can't believe this! Then what happened?'

Ron explained how he had watched Harry jump into the pool and had waited for him to resurface. How he had realized the something was wrong, dived in, and saved Harry, then returned for the sword. He got as far as the opening of the locket, then hesitated, and Harry cut in.

' –and Ron stabbed it with the sword.'

'And… and it went? Just like that?' she whispered as Arabella sneezed yet again.

'Well, it – it screamed,' said Harry, passing a handkerchief to Arabella from his bag.

He threw the locket into Hermione's lap. Gingerly she picked it up and examined its punctured windows.

Deciding that it was at last safe to do so, Harry removed the Shield Charm with a wave of Arabella's wand and turned to Ron.

'Did you just say you got away from the Snatchers with a spare wand?'

'What?' said Ron, who had been watching Hermione examining the locket. 'Oh – oh yeah.'

He tugged open a buckle on his rucksack and pulled a short, dark wand out of its pocket. 'Here. I figured it's always handy to have a backup.'

'You were right,' said Harry, holding out his hand. 'Mine's broken.'

'You're kidding?' Ron said, but at that moment Hermione got to her feet, and he looked apprehensive again.

Hermione put the vanquished Horcrux into the beaded bag, grabbed her wand from Arabella, then climbed back into her bed and settled down without another word.

Ron passed Harry the new wand.

'About the best you could hope for, I think,' murmured Harry.

'Yeah,' said Ron. 'Could've been worse. Remember those birds she set on me?'

'I still haven't ruled it out,' came Hermione's muffled voice from beneath her blankets, but Ron smiling before turning to Arabella.

She got up from where she was sitting slowly, the blanket wrapped around her tightly as she stood in front of him. She smiled warmly at him before embracing him in a tight hug. Harry smiled as Ron returned the hug, appreciating it after the encounter he had with Hermione.

Arabella moved her head away, looking fully at Ron, as her hand traveled downward until they were at his chest. Harry's smiled quickly faded as he stared at the position the two of them were in, but laughed quickly enough. Arabella twisted Ron's nipple with both her hand, emitting a loud shriek of pain from him.

Ron turned away, stumbling to the ground and crawled out through the flaps of the tent that were close to him, sheltering his chest area.

Arabella followed him out with Harry right behind. Hermione stirred from where she was, but did not move to come out.

'Don't ever leave again, Ron,' said Arabella, her voice still hoarse with sickness. She held her hand out, and he took it, hoisting himself onto his feet.

Arabella hugged him once again, kissing his check sloppily before walking inside the tent, going back to bed.

'Well, it can't get that much worse for you,' said Harry, shrugging. 'There's just Hermione to watch out for, honestly. Arabella's already done with you.'

'Thanks, mate,' said Ron, a bit sardonically, though he did smile at Harry.

**Thank you for reading! **

**A couple chapters ago, Ron told Harry that he thought of Arabella as his sister. So I thought that Riddle would use that against him as well, with Ron thinking that nobody besides his own family, would think of him in that sort of sense, that their friendship would never be in a family sense. And Ron, feeling as though Arabella is like his sister, fears that he overstepped his boundaries and that she never saw him in that sort of light or any light at all. But she loves him like a brother, and that's where the nipple twisting and hugs come into play as well. **


	17. The Tale of the Three Brothers

**disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, just Arabella. Honestly, I didn't really like the last chapter, mostly because it was in Harry's POV. I try to at least get one Harry POV in a book, but it seemed as though I was pretty much taking that chapter and copying and pasting it. It wasn't right, but I wanted to add the scene with Ron and the Horcrux. So, this chapter, hopefully, will be better. **

The Tale of the Three Brothers

Hermione's anger did not subside overnight and communicated mainly with dirty looks and pointed silence the following morning. In turn, Ron maintained a somber demeanor in her presence. Arabella's cold has mostly passed. The fever is gone, but her nose is now dry. Harry was the only one who looked as though he was not at a funeral.

With the demolition of the locket, they all sat down and debated on the location of the other Horcruxes, and though they had discussed this matter many times before, there was a certain level of hopefulness after the recovery of Gryffindor's sword and Ron's return.

Late in the afternoon, Arabella, Harry and Ron were found together scouring the bare hedges of nonexistent blackberries as they exchanged news together. Arabella felt a huge sense of relief and happiness with Ron's return. Hermione, menacing as ever, had her nose buried at the tent entrance.

Harry and Arabella finally managed to tell Ron the whole story of what had happened at Godric's Hollow. Ron was now filling them in on everything he had discovered about the Wizarding world during his weeks away.

'…and how did you find out about the Taboo?' he asked them after explaining the many desperate attempts of Muggle-borns to evade the Ministry.

'The what?' said Harry.

'The three of you have stopped saying You-Know-Who's name!'

'Oh, yeah. Well, it's just a bad habit we've slipped into,' said Harry. 'But I haven't got a problem calling him V –'

'NO!' roared Ron, causing Harry to jump into the hedge, Arabella shrieked, and Hermione scowl over at the. 'Sorry,' said Ron, wrenching Harry back out of the brambles, 'but the name's been jinxed, that's how they track people! Using his name breaks protective enchantments, it causes some kind of magical disturbance – it's how they found us in Tottenham Court Road!'

'Because we said his name?' asked Arabella, skeptic.

'Exactly! You've got to give them credit, it makes sense. It was only people who were serious about standing up to him, like Dumbledore, whoever dared use it. Now they've out a Taboo on it, anyone who says it is trackable – quick and easy way to find Order members! They nearly got Kingsley –'

'You're kidding?'

'Yeah, a bunch of Death eaters cornered him, Bill said, but he fought his way out. He's on the run now, just like us.' Ron scratched his chin thoughtfully with the end of his wand. 'You don't reckon Kingsley could have sent that doe?'

'His Patronus is a lynx,' said Harry, 'we saw it at the wedding, remember?'

'Oh yeah…'

Ron and Harry moved further along the hedge, away from the tent while Arabella went closer to Hermione.

'Are you going to stay mad at him forever?' she asked lightly.

Hermione shot her a dark look before returning to her book.

'Did you know that You-Know-Who's name is a Taboo?' Arabella tried again.

'Not surprising,' said Hermione, not looking at her. 'It's the smart thing to do. Members of the Order use his name and it's the quickest way to get to them, and in turn, Harry.'

Arabella nodded, watching her read for a while.

'Why don't you go back inside or something?' she asked. 'I'll take watch. I think it's about time I do so.'

Hermione shut her book with a heavy sigh and Arabella knew she finally won the argument.

'I'll go find Harry,' she said, standing up. 'Wear another sweater. I'll be back soon.'

Arabella got out another sweater from her rucksack bag and threw it over herself, relishing in the extra warmth before taking out her wand, enjoying the familiar feeling once again. She was glad Harry got another wand and that she got hers back.

Hermione stalked back within a minute and went inside the tent with Harry and Ron followed her slowly.

'What'd you do this time?' Arabella asked, smiling.

'I smiled at her,' said Ron.

Arabella snorted but resumed watch, bursting into laughter every once in a while.

When the sky turned darker with each passing minute, Arabella sat inside the tent, but still at the entrance. Hermione was lying on her bunk, reading. Harry was practicing to levitate small stones with the blackthorn wand, with little success, while Ron had taken a small wooden wireless out of his rucksack bag and started to try and tune it.

'There's this one program,' he told Arabella and Harry in a low voice, he kept glancing nervously at Hermione, 'that tells the news like it really is. All the others are on You-Know-Who's side and are following the Ministry line, but this one… you wait till you hear it, it's great. Only they can't do it every night, they have to keep changing locations in case they're raised, and you need a password to tune in… Trouble is, I miss the last one…'

He drummed lighting on the top of the radio with his wand, muttering random words under his breath. He threw Hermione many covert glances, plainly fearing an angry outburst. For ten minutes or so Ron tapped and muttered, Hermione turned the pages of her book, Harry continued to practice with the blackthorn wand, and Arabella played with the compass Dumbledore gave her, which pointed to her left, outside the tent.

Finally Hermione climbed down from her bunk. Ron ceased his tapping at once.

'If it's annoying you, I'll stop!' he told Hermione nervously.

Hermione did not respond to that.

'We need to talk,' she said, ignoring Ron. In her hand was The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore.

'What?' said Harry apprehensively.

'I want to go and see Xenophilius Lovegood.'

They stared at her.

'Sorry?'

'Xenophilius Lovegood. Luna's father. I want to go and talk to him!'

'Yes, Hermione,' said Arabella, nodding slowly. 'But the question is why?'

She took a deep breath, as though bracing herself, and said, 'It's that mark, the mark in Beedle the Bard. Look at this!'

She thrust The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore under Harry's eyes and Arabella peered over it as well. They were looking at a photograph of the original letter that Dumbledore had written to Grindelwald.

'The signature,' said Hermione. 'Look at the signature!'

Arabella narrowed her eyes at what Hermione was talking about. Dumbledore had replaced the _A_ of Albus with a tiny version of the same triangular mark inscribed upon The Tales of Beedle the Bard.

'Er – what are you –?' said Ron tentatively, but Hermione repressed him with a look and turned back to the others.

'It keeps cropping up, doesn't it?' she said. 'I know Victor said it was Grindelwald's mark, but it was definitely on that old grave in Godric's Hollow, and the dates on the headstone were long before Grindelwald came along! And now this! Well, we can't ask Dumbledore or Grindelwald what it means – I don't even know whether Grindelwald's still alive – but we can ask Mr Lovegood. He was wearing the symbol at the wedding. I'm sure this is important!'

After a long pause, Harry said, 'Hermione, we don't need another Godric's Hollow. We talked ourselves into going there, and –'

'But it keeps appearing, Harry! Dumbledore left me The Tales of Beedle the Bard, how do you know we're not supposed to find out about the sign?'

'Here we go again!' said Harry. 'We keep trying to convince ourselves Dumbledore left us secret signs and clues –'

'The Deluminator turned out to be pretty useful,' piped up Ron. 'I think Hermione's right, I think we ought to go and see Lovegood.'

Harry threw him a dirty look.

'I won't be like Godric's Hollow,' Ron added, 'Lovegood's on your side, Harry, The Quibbler's been for you all along, it keeps telling everyone they've got to help you!'

'I'm sure this is important!' said Hermione earnestly.

'But don't you think if it was, Dumbledore would have told me about it before he died?'

'Maybe… maybe it's something you need to find out for yourself,' said Hermione.

'Yeah,' said Ron sycophantically, 'that makes sense.'

'No, it doesn't,' snapped Hermione, 'but I still think we ought to talk to Mr Lovegood. A symbol that links Dumbledore, Grindelwald and Godric's Hollow? Harry, I'm sure we ought to know about this!'

'I think we should vote on it,' said Ron. 'Those in favour of going to see Lovegood –'

His hand flew into the air before Hermione's. Her lips quivered suspiciously as she raised her own. Ron and Hermione stared at Arabella before she sighed and raised her hand as well.

'Outvoted, Harry, sorry,' said Ron, clapping him on the back.

'Fine,' said Harry. 'Only, once we've seen Lovegood, let's try and look for some more Horcruxes, shall we? Where do the Lovegoods live, anyway? Any of you know?'

'Yeah, they're not far from my place,' said Ron. 'I dunno exactly where, but Mum and Dad always point toward the hills whenever they mention them. Shouldn't be hard to find.

* * *

They had an excellent view of the village of Ottery St. Catchpole from the hillside to which they Disapparated next morning. They stood for a minute or two looking at the Burrow, their hands shadowing theirs eyes, but they all could make out where the tall house, standing tree as protection from Muggle eyes.

'It's weird, being this near, but not going to visit,' said Ron.

'Well, it's not like you haven't just seen them. You were there for Christmas,' said Hermione coldly.

'I wasn't at the Burrow!' said Ron with an incredulous laugh. 'Do you think I was going to go back there and tell them all I'd walked out on you? Yeah, Fred and George would've been great about it. And Mum and Ginny, they'd have been really understanding.'

'But where have you been, then?' asked Hermione, surprised.

'Bill and Fleur's new place. Shell Cottage. Bill's always been decent to me. He – He wasn't impressed when he heard what I'd done, but he didn't go on about it. He knew I was really sorry. None of the rest of the family knew I was there. Bill told Mum he and Fleur weren't going home for Christmas because they wanted to spend it alone. You know, first holiday after they were married. I don't think Fleur minded. You know how much she hates Celestina Warbeck.'

Ron turned his back on the Burrow.

'Let's try up here,' he said, leading the way over the top of the hill.

They walked for a few hours, Harry hid under the Invisibility cloak at Hermione's insistence. The Disapparated a few miles north every once in a while until Ron shouted, 'Aha!'

He was pointing upward, toward the top of the hill on which they had appeared, where a strange looking house rose vertically against the sky, a great black cylinder with a ghostly moon hanging behind it in the afternoon sky.

'That's got to be Luna's house, who else would live in a place like that? It looked like a giant rook!'

'It's nothing like a bird,' said Hermione, frowning at the tower.

'I was talking about a chess rook,' said Ron. 'A castle to you.'

Ron's legs were the longest and he reached the top of the hill first. When Arabella, Harry and Hermione caught up with him, panting and clutching stitches in their sides, they found him grinning broadly.

'It's theirs,' said Ron. 'Look.'

Three hand-painted signs had been tacked to a broken-down gate. The first read:

_The Quibbler Editor: X. Lovegood_

The second:

_Pick Your Own Mistletoe_

The third:

_Keep Off The Dirigible Plums_

The gate creaked as they opened it. The zigzagging patter leading to the front door was overgrown with a variety of odd plants.

'You'd better take off the Invisibility Cloak, Harry,' said Hermione. 'It's you Mr Lovegood wants to help, not us.'

He did as she suggested, handing her the Cloak to stow in the beaded bag. She then knocked three times on the thick black door, which bore a knocker shaped like an eagle.

Within a minute, the door was flung open and Xenophilius Lovegood stood in front of them, barefoot and wearing a stained nightshirt. His long white hair was dirty and unkempt.

'What?' What is it? Who are you? What do you want?' he cried in a pitched, critical voice, looking first at Hermione, then at Ron and Arabella, and finally at Harry, upon which his mouth feel open.

'Hello, Mr Lovegood,' said Harry, holding out his hand. 'I'm Harry, Harry Potter.'

Xenophilius Lovegood did not take Harry's hand, although his eyes slid straight to the scar on Harry's forehead.

'Would it be okay if we came in?' asked Harry. 'There's something we'd like to ask you.'

'I… I'm not sure that's advisable,' whispered Xenophilius Lovegood. He swallowed and cast a quick look around the garden. 'Rather a shock… My word… I… I'm afraid I don't really think I ought to –'

'It won't take long,' said Harry, slightly disappointed, according to his tone.

'I – oh, all right then. Come in, quickly. _Quickly_!'

They were barely over the threshold when Xenophilius Lovegood slammed the door shut behind them. They were standing in the kitchen of the house and in the middle of the floor had a spiral staircase that led to the upper levels.

'You'd better come up,' said Xenophilius Lovegood, still looking extremely uncomfortable as he led the way.

The room above was a combination of living room and workplace, and was even more cluttered than the kitchen. There were piles of books and papers on every surface.

'Excuse me,' said Xenophilius Lovegood, and he strode over to the printing press that was making a racket, seized a tablecloth and threw it over the machine. He then faced Harry.

'Why have you come here?'

Before Harry could speak, Hermione let out a small cry of shock.

'Mr Lovegood – what's that?'

She was pointing at an enormous, grey spiral horn that had been mounted on the wall.

'It is the horn of a Crumple-Horned Snorkack,' said Xenophilius.

'No it isn't!' said Hermione.

'Hermione,' muttered Harry, sounding embarrassed, 'now's not the moment –'

'But Harry, it's an Erumpent horn! It's a Class B Tradeable Material and it's an extraordinarily dangerous thing to have in a house!'

'How d'you know it's an Erumpent horn?' asked Ron, edging away from the horn as fast as he could, given the clutter of the room.

'There's a description in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them! Mr Lovegood, you need to get rid of it straightaway, don't you know it can explode at the slightest touch?'

'The Crumple-Horned Snorkack,' said Xenophilius very clearly, 'is a shy and highly magical creature and its horn –'

'Mr Lovegood, I recognized the grooved markings around the base, that's an Erumpent horn and it's incredibly dangerous – I don't know where you got it –'

'I bought it,' said Xenophilius rigidly, 'two weeks ago, from a delightful young wizard who knew of my interest in the exquisite Shorkack. A Christmas for my Luna. Now,' he said, turning to Harry, 'why exactly have you come here, Mr Potter?'

'We need some help,' said Harry, before Hermione could start again.

'Ah,' said Xenophilius. 'Help. Hmm. Yes. The thing is… helping Harry Potter… rather dangerous…'

'Aren't you the one who keeps telling everyone it's their first duty to help Harry?' said Ron. 'In that magazine of yours?'

'Er – yes, I have expressed that view. However –'

'However what?' asked Arabella. 'What? Is that for everyone else to do besides yourself?'

Xenophilius did not answer. He kept swallowing, his eyes darting between the four of them.

'Where's Luna?' asked Hermione. 'Let's see what she thinks.'

Xenophilius gulped. He seemed to be steeling himself. Finally he said in a shaky voice, 'Luna is down at the stream, fishing for Freshwater Plimpies. She… she will like to see you. I'll go and call her and then – yes, very well. I shall try to help you.'

He disappeared down the spiral staircase and they head the front door open and close. They looked at each other.

'Cowardly old wart,' said Ron. 'Luna's got ten times his guts.'

'He's probably worried about what'll happen to them if the Death eaters find out I was here,' said Harry.

'Well, I agree with Arabella,' said Hermione. 'Awful old hypocrite, telling everyone else to help you and trying to worm out of it himself. And for heaven's sake keep away from that horn.'

They head the front door close, and a moment later Xenophilius had climbed back up the spiral staircase into the room, bearing a tray of ill-assorted teacups and a steaming teapot.

'Ah, you have spotted my pet invention,' he said, shoving the tray into Hermione's arms and joining Harry at a statue with two objects that resembled golden ear trumpets curved out for the sides. 'Modeled, fittingly enough, upon the head of the beautiful Rowena Ravenclaw. _Wit beyond measure is a man's greatest treasure_!'

Arabella and Ron glanced at each other, each snuffling their own laughs.

'These are the Wrackspurt siphons – to remove all sources of distraction from the thinkier's immediate area. Here, a billywing propeller, to induce an elevated frame of mind. Finally, the Dirigible Plum, so as to enhance the ability to accept the extraordinary.'

Xenophilius strode back to the tea tray, which Hermione had managed to balance cautiously on one of the cluttered side tables.

'May I offer you all an infusion of Gurdyroots?' said Xenophilius. 'We make it ourselves.' As he started to pour out the drink, which was a deeply purple juice that made Arabella feel as though she was about to retch from the looks of it. 'Luna is down beyond Bottom Bridge, she is most excited that you are here. She ought not to be too long, she has caught nearly enough Plimpies to make soup for all of us. Do sit down and help yourselves to sugar.

'Now,' he removed a tottering pile of papers from an armchair and sat down, his legs crossed, 'how may I help you, Mr Potter?'

'Well,' said Harry, 'it's about that symbol you were wearing around your neck at Bill and Fleur's wedding, Mr Lovegood. We wondered what it meant.'

Xenophilius raised his eyebrows.

'Are you referring to the sign of the Deathly Hallows?'

Arabella didn't understand, and it seemed as though the others were in the same boat as her.

'The Deathly Hallows?'

'That's right,' said Xenophilius. 'You haven't heard of them? I'm not surprised. Very, very few wizards believe. Witness that knuckle-headed young man at your brother's wedding,' he nodded at Ron, 'who attacked me for sporting the symbol of a well-known Dark wizard! Such ignorance. There is nothing Dark about the Hallows – at least, not in that crude sense. One simply uses the symbol to reveal oneself to other believers, in the hope that they might help one with the Quest.'

He stirred several lumps of sugar into his Gurdyroot infusion and drank some.

'I'm sorry,' said Harry. 'I still don't really understand.'

'Well, you see, believers seek the Deathly Hallows,' said Xenophilius, smacking his lips in apparent appreciation of the Gurdyroot infusion.

'But what _are _the Deathy Hallows?' asked Hermione.

Xenophilius set aside his empty teacup.

'I assume that you are all familiar with 'The Tale of the Three Brothers'?'

'Yes,' said Arabella, Hermione and Ron while Harry said, 'No.' Xenophilius nodded gravely.

'Well, well, Mr Potter, the whole thing starts with 'The Tale of the Three Brothers'… I have a copy somewhere…'

'Wait,' said Arabella, halting Xenophilius's movements. 'Are you saying Victor Krum attacked you because of a fairy tale told to children?'

'Oh, it's far more complicated than that, Miss Black,' said Xenophilius, shaking his head. 'Now… if I could just find my copy…'

'I've got a copy, Mr Lovegood,' said Hermione, 'I've got it right here.'

She pulled out The Tales of Beedle the Bard from her beaded bag.

'The original?' inquired Xenophilius sharply, and when she nodded, he said, 'Well, then. Why don't you read it aloud? Much the best way to make sure we all understand.'

'Er… all right,' said Hermione nervously. She opened the book and began:

'_'There were once three brothers who were traveling along a lonely, winding road at twilight –''_

'Midnight, our mum always told us,' said Ron, who had stretched out his arms behind his head.

'Really? Moony always said 'the night before dawn' or 'the night before Halloween',' said Arabella. 'Halloween sounds more scary.'

'It's more spooky if you say midnight,' said Ron. 'You can use it every day of the year, and not just the night before –'

'This is not the time, right now,' said Harry. 'Go on, Hermione.'

_''In time, the brothers reached a river too deep to wade through and too dangerous to swim across. However, these brothers were learned in the magical arts, and so they simply waved their wands and made a bridge appear across the treacherous water. They were halfway across it when they found their path blocked by a hooded figure._

_''And Death spoke to them —'' _

_'_Sorry,' interjected Harry, 'but Death spoke to them?'

'It's a fairy tale, Harry!'

'Right, sorry. Go on.'

_''And Death spoke to them. He was angry that he had been cheated out of three new victims, for travelers usually drowned in the river. But Death was cunning. He pretended to congratulate the three brothers upon their magic, and said that each had earned a prize for having been clever enough to evade him._

_''So the oldest brother, who was a combative man, asked for a wand more powerful than any in existence: a wand that must always win duels for its owner, a wand worthy of a wizard who had conquered Death! So Death crossed to an elder tree on the banks of the river, fashioned a wand from a branch that hung there, and gave it to the oldest brother._

''_Then the second brother, who was an arrogant man, decided that he wanted to humiliate death still further, and asked for the power to recall others from the Death. So Death picked up a stone from the riverbank and gave it to the second brother, and told him that the stone would have the power to bring back the dead._

_''And then death asked the third and youngest brother what he would like. The youngest brother was the humblest and also the wisest of the brother, and he did not trust Death. So he asked for something that would enable him to go forth from that place without being followed by Death. And Death, most unwillingly, handed over his own Cloak of Invisibility.''_

'Death's got an Invisibility Cloak?' Harry interrupted again.

'So he can sneak up on people,' said Ron. 'Sometimes he gets bored of running at them, flapping his arms and shrieking… sorry, Hermione.'

''_Then Death stood aside and allowed the three brothers to continue on their way, and they did so, talking with wonder of the adventure they had had, and admiring Death's gifts._

_''In due course the brothers separated, each for his own destination._

_''The first brother traveled on for a week or more, and reaching a distant village, sought out a fellow wizard with whom he had a quarrel. Naturally, with the Elder Wand as his weapon, he could not fail to win the duel that followed. Leaving his enemy dead upon the floor, the oldest brother proceeded to an inn, where he boasted loudly of the powerful wand he had snatched from Death himself, and how it made him invincible._

_''That very night, another wizard crept upon the oldest brother as he lay, wine-sodden, upon his bed. The thief took the wand and, for good measure, slit the oldest brother's throat._

_''And so Death took the first brother for his own._

_''Meanwhile, the second brother journeyed to his own home, where he lived alone. Here he took out the stone that had the power to recall the dead, and turned it trice in his hand. To his amazement and his delight, the figure of the girl he had once hoped to marry, before her untimely death, appeared at once before him. _

_''Yet she was sad and cold, separated from his as by a veil. Though she had returned to the mortal world, she did not truly belong there and suffered. Finally the second brother, driven mad with hopeless longing, killed himself so as truly to join her._

_''And so Death took the second brother for his own._

_''But though Death searched for the third brother for many years, he was never able to find him. It was only when he had attained a great age that the youngest brother finally took of the Cloak of Invisibility and gave it to his son. And then he greeted Death as an old friend, and went with him gladly, and, equals, they departed this life.''_

Hermione closed the book. It was a moment or two before Xenophilius seemed to realize that she had stopped reading, then he withdrew his gaze from the window and said, 'Well, there you are.'

'Sorry?' said Hermione, sounding confused.

'Those are the Deathly Hallows,' said Xenophilius.

He picked up a quill from a packed table at his elbow, and pulled a torn piece of parchment from between more books.

'The Elder Wand,' he said, and he drew a straight vertical line upon the parchment. 'The Resurrection Stone,' he said, and he added a circle on top of the line. 'The Cloak of Invisibility,' he finished, enclosing both line and circle in a triangle. 'Together, the Deathly Hallows.'

'But there's no mention of the words 'Deathly Hallows' in the story,' said Hermione.

'Well, of course not,' said Xenophilius, slightly smug. 'That is, as Miss Black said before, a fairy tale, told to amuse rather than to instruct. Those of us who understand these matters, however, recognize that the ancient story refers to three objects, or Hallows, which, if united, will make the possessor master of Death.'

There was a short silence in which Xenophilius glanced out of the window. The sun was low in the sky.

'Luna ought to have enough Plimpies soon,' he said quietly.

'When you say 'master of Death' –'said Ron.

'Master,' said Xenophilius, waving an airy hand. 'Conqueror. Vanquisher. Whichever term you prefer.'

'But then… do you mean…' said Hermione slowly, 'that you believe these objects – these Hallows – actually exist?'

Xenophilius raised his eyebrows again.

'Well, of course.'

'But,' said Hermione, her voice cracking with restrain, 'Mr Lovegood, how can you _possibly _believe –?'

'Luna has told me all about you, young lady,' said Xenophilius. 'You are, I gather, not unintelligent, but painfully limited. Narrow. Close-minded.'

'Mr Lovegood, we all know that there are such things as Invisibility Cloaks. They are rare, but they exist. But –'

'Ah but the Third Hallow is a _true_ Cloak of Invisibility, Miss Granger! I mean to say, it is not a traveling cloak imbued with a Disillusionment Charm, or carrying a Bedazzling Hex, or else woven from Demiguise hair, which will hide initially but fade with the years until it turns opaque. We are talking about a cloak that really and truly renders the wearer completely invisible, and endures eternally, giving constant and impenetrable concealment, no matter what spells are cast at it. How many cloaks have you ever seen like _that_, Miss Granger?'

Hermione opened her mouth to answer, then closed it again, looking more confused than ever. She, Arabella, Harry and Ron glanced at one another.

'Exactly,' said Xenophilius. 'None of you have ever seen such a thing. The possessor would be immeasurably rich, would he not?'

He glanced out of the window again. The sky was now tinged with the faintest trace of pink.

'All right,' said Hermione. 'Say the Cloak existed… what about the stone, Mr Lovegood? The think you call the Resurrection Stone?'

'What of it?'

'Well, how can that be real?'

'Prove that it is not.'

Hermione looked outraged. 'But that's – I'm sorry, but that's completely ridiculous! How can I possibly prove it doesn't exist? Do you expect me to get hold of – of all the pebbles in the world and test them? I mean, you could claim that anything's real if the only basis for believing in it is that nobody's proved it doesn't exist!'

'Yes, you could. I am glad to see that you are opening your mind a little.'

'So the Elder Wand,' said Harry quickly, 'you think that exists too?'

'Oh, well, in that case there is endless evidence,' said Xenophilius. 'The Elder Wand is the Hallow that is most easily traced, because of the way in which it passes from hand to hand.'

'Which is what?'

'Which is that the possessor of the wand must capture it from its previous owner, if he is to be truly master of it. Surely you have heard of the way the wand came to Egbert the Egregious, after his slaughter of Emeric the Evil? Of how Godelot died in his own cellar after his son, Hereward, took the wand from him? Of the dreadful Loxias, who took the wand from Barnabas Deverill, whom he had killed? The bloody trail of the Elder Wand is splattered across the pages of Wizarding history.

Arabella really should have paid attention to Remus and Andromeda when they were explaining things to her. This might have come up once or twice.

'So where do you think the Elder Wand is now?' asked Ron.

'Alas, who know?' said Xenophilius, as he gazed out of the window. 'Who knows where the Elder Wand lies hidden? The trail goes cold with Arcus and Livius. Who can say which of them really defeated Loxias, and which took the wand? And who can say who may have defeated them? History, alas, does not tell us.'

There was a pause. Finally Hermione asked stiffly, 'Mr Lovegood, does the Peverell family have anything to do with the Deathly Hallows?'

Xenophilius looked taken back.

'But you have been misleading me, young woman!' said Xenophilius, now sitting up much straighter and goggling at Hermione. 'I thought you were new to the Hallows Quest! Many of us Questers believe that the Peverells have everything – _everything_! – to do with the Hallows!'

'Who are the Peverells?' asked Arabella.

'That was the name on the grave with the mark on it, in Godric's Hollow,' said Hermione, still watching Xenophilius. 'Ignotus Peverell.'

'Exactly!' said Xenophilius. 'The sign of the Deathly Hallows on Ignotus's grave is conclusive proof!'

'Of what?' asked Ron.

'Why, that the three brothers in the story were actually the three Peverell brothers, Antioch, Cadmus, and Ignotus! That they were the original owners of the Hallows!'

With another glance at the window he got to his feet, picked up the tray, and headed for the spiral staircase.

'You will stay for dinner?' he called, as he vanished downstairs again. 'Everybody always requests our recipe for Freshwater Plimpies soup.'

'Probably to show the Poisoning Department at St. Mungo's,' said Ron under his breath.

Harry waited until they could hear Xenophilius moving about in the kitchen downstairs before speaking.

'What do you think?'

'Oh, Harry,' she said wearily, 'it's a pile of utter rubbish. This can't be what the sign really means. This must just be his weird take on it. What a waste of time.'

'I s'pose this is the man who brought us Crumple-Horned Snorkacks,' said Ron.

'You don't believe it either?' asked Arabella.

'Nah, that story's just one of those things you tell kids to teach them lessons, isn't it? 'Don't go looking for trouble, don't pick fights, don't go messing around with stuff that's best left alone! just keep your head down, mind your own business and you'll be okay' Come to think of it, maybe that's story's why elder wand are supposed to be unlucky.'

"What are you talking about?" asked Harry.

"One of those superstitions, isn't it? 'May-born witches will marry Muggles.' 'Jinx by twilight, undone by midnight.' 'Wand of elder, never prosper.' You must've heard them. My mum's full of them."

"Harry and I were raised by Muggles," Hermione reminded him. "We were taught different superstitions." She sighed deeply as a rather pungent smell drifted up from the kitchen. The one good thing about her exasperation with Xenophilius was that it seemed to have made her forget that she was annoyed at Ron. "I think you're right," she told him. "It's just a morality tale, it's obvious which gift is best, which one you'd choose —"

They spoke at the same time. Hermione said, 'the Cloak,' Ron said, 'the wand,' and Harry and Arabella said, 'the stone.'

'I don't know,' said Arabella, as they all looked at each other, half surprised, half amused. 'Death seems like a clever bloke.'

Then she heard a small little noise coming from within her. She broke off from them, turning away to inspect herself. She groped against her jeans, her jacket and finally, her though her sweater. She touched the big compass through her sweater, realizing it was moving a little. It was shaking slightly.

She reached her hand inside and took out the compass as Harry, Hermione and Ron argued in whispers behind her. She opened the lid and saw the long black needle spinning back and forth riotously. _Left, right, left, left, left, right…_

'_This does not point north, but to the owner's deepest desire_,' Hermione's voice whispered somewhere inside her brain.

'My deepest desire,' Arabella whispered to herself, her lips barely moving as she said those words. Her deepest desire was moving right now, frantically as the needle kept spinning.

'Harry, what are you doing? I don't think you should look around when he's not here!' came Hermione voice, snapping Arabella out of her trance.

She turned around to see Arabella walking and disappearing up to the other level.

'Something wrong?' Arabella asked, her compass still in her left hand.

'Harry's just snooping around,' said Hermione, sounding exhausted. 'What's wrong with you?'

Arabella merely held up the compass so Hermione and Ron could see what was happening. But before Hermione could say anything, Harry descended down the stairs while Xenophilius reached the top of the stairs from the kitchen, now holding a tray laden with bowls.

'Mr Lovegood,' said Harry. 'Where's Luna?'

'Excuse me?'

'Where's Luna?'

Xenophilius halted on the top step.

'I – I've already told you. She is down at Bottom Bridge, fishing for Plimpies.'

'So why have you only laid that tray for five?'

Xenophilius tried to speak, but no sound came out. The only noise was the continued chugging of the printed press, and a slight rattle from the tray as Xenophilius's hands shook.

'I don't think Luna's been here for weeks,' said Harry. 'Her clothes are gone, her bed hasn't been slept in. Where is she? And why do you keep looking out of the window?'

Xenophilius dropped the tray. The bowls bounced and smashed. Arabella, Harry, Hermione and Ron drew their wands. Xenophilius froze, his hand about to enter his pocket. At that moment the printing press gave a huge bang and numerous Quibblers came streaming across the floor from underneath the tablecloth.

Hermione stooped down and picked up one of the magazines, her wand still pointing at Mr Lovegood.

'Harry, look at his.'

The front of The Quibbler carried Harry's picture, emblazoned with the words _Undesirable Number One_ and captioned with the reward money.

'The Quibbler's going for a new angle, then?' Harry asked coldly. 'Is that what you were going when you went into the garden, Mr Lovegood? Sending an owl to the Ministry?'

Xenophilius licked his lips.

'They took my Luna,' he whispered. 'Because of what I've been writing. They took my Luna and I don't know where she is, what they've done to her. But they might give her back to me if I – if I –'

'Hand over Harry?' Arabella finished for him.

'No deal,' said Ron flatly. 'Get out of the way, we're leaving.'

Xenophilius looked ghastly, a century old, his lips drawn back into a leer.

'They will be here any moment. I must save Luna. I cannot lose Luna. You must not leave.'

He spread his arms in front of the staircase.

'Don't make us hurt you,' said Harry. 'Get out of the way, Mr Lovegood.'

'HARRY!' Hermione screamed. 

Figures on broomsticks were flying past the windows. As the four of them looked away from him, Xenophilius drew his wand. Harry launched himself sideways, shoving Hermione on the ground while Ron did the same with Arabella. Xenophilius's Stunning Spell soared across the room and hit the Erumpent horn.

There was a colossal explosion. The sound of it seemed to blow the room apart. Fragments of wood and paper and rubble flew in all directions, along with a cloud of thick white dust. Arabella heard Hermione's scream and Ron's yell, and then a series of thuds, which told them that Xenophilius had been blasted off his feet and fallen backwards down the spiral stairs.

Arabella tried to raise herself off the ground. Ron's body was half covering hers and she could hardly breathe or see through the dust. Half the ceiling had fallen is, and a bed was hanging though the hole.

The doors downstairs crashed open.

'Didn't I tell you there was no need to hurry, Travers?' said a tough voice. 'Didn't I tell you this nutter was just raving as usual?'

There was a bang and a scream of pain from Xenophilius

'No… no… upstairs… Potter!'

'I told you last week, Lovegood, we weren't coming back from anything less than some solid information! Remember last week? When you wanted to swap your daughter for that stupid bleeding head-dress? And the week before' – another bang, another squeal –'when you thought we'd give her back if you offered us proof there are Crumple' – _bang_ –'Headed' – _bang_ –'Snorkacks?'

'No – no – I beg you!' sobbed Xenophilius. 'It really is Potter! Really!'

'And not it turns out you only called us here to try and blow us up!' roared the Death Eater, and there was a volley of bangs interspersed with squeals of agony from Xenophilius.

'The place looks like it's about to fall in, Selwyn,' said a cold second voice. 'The stairs are completely blocked. Could try clearing it? Might bring the place down.'

'You lying piece of filth,' shouted the wizard named Selwyn. 'You've never seen Potter in your life, have you? Thought you'd lure us here to kill us, did you? And you think you'll get your girl back like this?'

'I swear… I swear… Potter's upstairs!'

'Homenum revelio,' said the voice at the foot of the stairs.

There was an odd sensation that went through Arabella.

'There's someone up there all right, Selwyn,' said the second man sharply.

'It's Potter, I tell you, it's Potter!' sobbed Xenophilius. 'Please… please… give me Luna, just let me have Luna…'

'You can have your little girl, Lovegood,' said Selwyn, 'if you get up those stairs and bring me down Harry Potter. But if this is a plot, if it's a trick, if you've got an accomplice waiting up there to ambush us, we'll see if we can spare a bit of your daughter for you to bury.'

Xenophilius gave a wail of fear and despair. There were scurrying and scrapings. Xenophilius was trying to get through the debris on the stairs.

'Come on,' Harry whispered, 'we've got to get out of here.'

'Do you trust me?' Arabella asked.

Harry nodded.

'Good,' said Arabella nodding. 'Harry, switch wands with me quickly. _Quickly_!'

He quickly handed over the blackthorn wand over to her while she gave him hers.

'Good, take out your Invisibility Cloak and give it to Ron – _I know, _Ron! Just do it!' She added desperately when Ron opened his mouth to say something. 'Hermione, take this and put it in your bag, please!'

Ron threw the cloak over his shoulders and vanished out of sight as Hermione opened her bag and dropping the compass inside.

'Harry, holding onto Hermione's hand and my arm, Ron grab Hermione's shoulder. When I say so, Hermione, Apparate, okay?'

Arabella took the silence as acceptance. She knew what she was going to do. It had to work. For the sake of everything, this had to work.

'Hold on tight,' Arabella whispered. 'Any second now…'

Xenophilius's pale face appeared over the top of the sideboard and she could see Travers and Selwyn right behind him, getting a small glimpse of them.

'_Now_!' shouted Arabella. She then turned to Harry's hand gripping her arm and cried, 'Relashio!'

There was a burst of purple light as Harry was forced to let go of her arm. She could hear protests and outrage, most of them from Harry, as the three of them Disapparated, leaving her behind.

'STUPEFY!' Travers and Selwyn yelled together.

Arabella quickly ducked down, hitting the ground with a _thud_ as the combination of the two spells scraped by her. The wind was knocked right out of her and she was lying on the floor, groaning while she gripped a wand that was not hers.

'_Well, well_, look at what we have here.'

**Thank you for reading! Tell me what you think :) **


	18. Malfoy Manor

**disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, just Arabella. Small little B and F bomb, well, to me it's small. But when you read it, it will make a little more sense. Anyway, not a pretty chapter, but I hope you somewhat like it. **

Malfoy Manor

Someone pulled Arabella up from the ground roughly and held his wand at her throat, poking her with it, digging the wand into her skin. The other one picked up the blackthorn wand from the ground. Arabella recognized Travers, the one holding the wand, from the old wanted posters. He was tall, thin with a long nose and bushy grey hair. The other one, Selwyn, was about the same built as Travers, but younger and blonde hair.

'What's your name, beautiful?' asked Travers, his cool voice making Arabella want to retract away from him. 'And you are beautiful,' he added, his finger tracing down her jaw to her neck.

Arabella let out a small whimper, and tried to turn away from him, but Selwyn kept her in place. They laughed at her reaction.

'Come on, beautiful, what's your name?' Travers asked once more with laughter in his voice. His tongue darted out and licked his lips, disgusting Arabella for a moment.

'She's with Potter!' cried Xenophilius, pointing his finger at her accusingly. 'Her name is –!'

'Shut up, Lovegood!' roared Travers.

He snapped his wand at Xenophilius and a jet of red flew at him. Xenophilius screamed and fell backwards, making Travers and Selwyn laugh once again. Xenophilius was whimpering on the ground and Travers flicked his wand once more, silencing the heartbroken father.

'Now, what's your name, love?' Travers asked, smiling creepily at Arabella.

'Easy, Travers,' said Selwyn, smirking at his friend. His breath was against Arabella's right ear. 'Don't want to scare this one, do you?'

'Just being friendly,' said Travers, his tone not conveying his words. 'I'm not going to bite her, not until I learn her name, at least.'

Travers and Selwyn laughed once again.

Arabella could tell them a fake name, but what she had to do, the thing she had to do to get to her deepest desire, required her to be herself. She needed them to forget about Harry for a moment and focus on something else. If she didn't stay behind, they would be searching for him more thoroughly, but since she's right there in front of him, well…

'I'm Arabella Black,' she said loudly over their laughs.

They stopped laughing immediately. They stared at her for a while. Selwyn let go of her arm and stood next to Travers, inspecting her before identical smirks appeared on their faces. Arabella was handing herself over to them and she was wandless. She was helpless to them.

'Black, eh?' said Selwyn. 'Sirius Black's daughter?'

'The one and only,' said Arabella, nodding.

'And what're you doing to do, love?' asked Travers, taking a step closer to her, right at her face. 'You gonna _beg_ for mercy? Gonna get down on your knees, are yeah?'

A shiver went through Arabella and she did her best to hold back her bile. She wonders whether or not Travers has ever heard of personal space, but she doesn't move away from him. She will not give him or Selwyn the satisfaction or give them a reason to laugh once again.

'No,' Arabella said sharply. 'A Black is worth the same as a Potter, maybe even more. You take me and you have something worth more than Lovegood's ever going to give you and you let his daughter go.'

'You think it's that easy, love?' asked Travers, moving his head away from Arabella's. 'Aye, you're worth something, yes, but we want Potter. The Dark Lord wants Potter, not a little school girl.'

'You just said I was worth something, didn't you?' asked Arabella, raising her eyebrow. 'And look at the person who handed me over to you.'

They all glanced at Xenophilius Lovegood, who was still on the ground, watching them with wide eyes.

'I'm not a head-dress,' continued Arabella, 'and I'm not a Crumple Headed Snorkack. He clearly wasn't trying to get you here to blow you up – though that does sound fun – and he's not lying. You've got me and you've got something solid. Lovegood's worth nothing now and neither is his daughter.'

Travers rubbed his jaw for a moment, staring at Arabella, who was smirking at him. If this doesn't work, well then, she's screwed. Selwyn was still staring at Arabella.

'What do you think, Selwyn?' asked Travers, taking a step away from Arabella and turning to him. 'Ministry or the Manor?'

'Manor,' said Selwyn, nodding his head. 'Lestrange and Malfoy would want to see her. Gotta make sure it's an actual Black. If not, we're done for. Remember what he did to Rowle and Dolohov?'

'Right, right,' muttered Travers under his breath. He turned back to Arabella with a big smile. 'Well, looks like it's your luck day, love. We're gonna take you to see your family.'

Arabella bite her tongue and didn't say anything as ropes flew out of Travers' wand and bound her hands together. Selwyn grabbed her arm and dragged her away from the room, stepping over Xenophilius Lovegood's shaking and whimpering body. He was still under the Silencing Charm, and even though his mouth moved constantly, they heard nothing.

She pitied the man on the ground. Fear makes people do terrible things, and Arabella knows what that feeling's like. She hopes that by doing this, Luna will rejoin her father once more and that Harry would be safe for the time being.

Travers summoned their broomsticks to them, but they weren't going to use them to get to the Manor.

'Hold on tight, love,' said Travers, his mouth dangerously close to Arabella's ear. He grabbed hold onto Arabella's other arm as they Disapparated. There was no point struggling because this is what she has done to herself.

They landed in a country lane. It was bordered on the left by wild brambles and a manicured hedge on the right. After a long drive, Arabella saw a pair of iron gates with a handsome manor house behind it. Travers sped toward the gates with Selwyn dragging Arabella right behind.

Arabella walked as fast as she could. Selwyn was having trouble keeping up with her at times. She walked as though ghosts were chasing her, catching up with her. She could feel them beside her. Arabella could sense her grandmother and her grandfather. Her aunt and her uncle. Her mother and her father.

_I can be brave_ thought Arabella. _I can be brave like my mother, like my aunt and like my grandmother before them. I can be just as brave as my father, his brother, and my grandfather. I can do this. _

And in the mist of the crowd of ghosts, she thought she could feel Harry beside her, smiling with encouragement with every step forward. He protected her as though acting as her Patronus.

The Death Eaters raised their lefts arms in a somewhat salute and passed straight through the gates. Travers reached the door to the manor first, pounding his fists loudly until someone opened the door.

'What is it?' said a woman's cold voice. 'Travers, this better be good.'

'Oh, yes, we have something of importance,' said Travers smugly. 'We have a one Arabella Black.'

Selwyn dragged Arabella forward, coming forward face to face with Narcissa Malfoy, who raised her eyebrows, scrutinizing her for a moment.

'Bring her in,' she said.

Arabella was shoved through the threshold, and pushed and poked up a broad stone step into a hallway lined with portraits. Travers and Selwyn sniggered each time she stumbled. She could feel their wands poking her back and her arse, followed by another snigger. She kept her mouth shut, biting her tongue (she felt as though she biting through it) and thought of the idea of her hands wrapped around their throats.

'My son, Draco, has unfortunately left for Hogwarts earlier this morning,' said Narcissa, leading them across the hall. 'But my husband should be able to remember if this is Arabella Black.'

The drawing room was a contrast compared with the darkness of the outside. It was large with a crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling and with more portraits on the dark purple walls. In front of a marble fireplace stood two chairs and a figure rose from it as Arabella was pushed into the room.

'What is doing on?'

The drawl of Lucius Malfoy's voice fell into the room, sounding panicked and not like his usual cool voice.

'Travers says he's got Arabella Black,' said Narcissa's cold voice.

'We just need to make sure it's her,' said Travers.

Selwyn held both her arms together behind her and brought her closer under the chandelier, as though trying to keep her from escaping. Where was she going to go? She had no wand or any sort of weapon. There was no way out of this.

Arabella looked Lucius Malfoy in the eye as he searched her face.

'Hum… yes,' said Malfoy, his grey eyes raked through Arabella's face. 'But… I'm not too sure. Last time I saw Black was a while ago… If she's here, where are Potter and the others?'

'Dunno,' said Travers, shrugging. 'Barely got a glimpse of them before they Disapparated. Not even sure if it was Potter. Even if it was, why would Potter leave behind his little girlfriend?'

'Oh, you don't know Black like we do,' said Malfoy. 'Or like how the Dark Lord does… yes… this could be her…'

The drawing room door opened behind Arabella and a woman spoke, causing Arabella's heart to increase rapidly with a tingling feeling coursing through her body.

'What is going on? What's happened, Cissy?'

Bellatrix Lestrange walled slowly past Travers, past Selwyn until she was standing in front of Arabella. Tall, long, thick shiny black hair, thin lips, heavily-lidded eyes, gaunt face, air of arrogance that only a Black could possess. Bellatrix Lestrange was standing in front of her, staring down at Arabella with wonder and shock.

'Is this her?' Bellatrix asked in a whisper. 'Is this Black? _Is this Arabella Black_?'

Bellatrix search through Arabella's face and once their eyes met each other's, there was no question. Her lips formed a smirk soon enough before she looked at Travers and Selwyn.

'Selwyn, let her go,' said Bellatrix. 'Well done, you may leave.'

'With all due respect, Bella,' said Travers and Arabella knew Bellatrix hated being addressed at the moment, 'we want to be here for when you summon the Dark Lord. We are the ones who found her.'

'Summon the Dark Lord?' screeched Bellatrix. 'You have not found Potter, you just found me someone to _play_ with.' Bellatrix stepped closer to Arabella, her smirk growing. 'Find Potter and then the Dark Lord will grace you with his presence. Until then, _leave_. You have until the count of five to walk out of here right now. _One_…'

'What is this, Lucius?' said Travers. 'What is she playing at? This is –'

'FIVE!'

Two against one, Travers and Selwyn were no match for her. They weren't even close. She cried out 'STUPEFY!' before they knew what was happening. They fell to the ground where they stood. She had no conscience but she had skill and Arabella had to give her that.

'Poppy!' screeched Bellatrix from the top of her lungs.

Behind her, Arabella heard a faint pop.

'Yes, Mistress Bella?' said a weak, high-pitched voice that could only belong to a house-elf.

'Get those bodies out of my sight at once!' snapped Bellatrix.

There was a small grunt from the house-elf, shuffle of bodies, and another small pop. She was alone. Three against one and Arabella didn't even have a wand, much less her own wand.

There was a small moment of silence as Bellatrix stared at Arabella as though she was some sort of desert. There was much greed and anticipation in Bellatrix's grey eyes that it seemed as though they were staring at each other for hours.

'Well, then,' said Bellatrix in a whisper. Her hand reached out and slowly caressed Arabella's cheek, sending a shiver down her spine. 'This is going to be very easy for the both of us.' She took a step closer and Arabella felt Bellatrix's warm breath on her neck. 'Where is Potter?'

'Don't know,' said Arabella, shrugging.

Bellatrix's hand trailed down until they reached her neck, where she dug her nails in. Arabella hissed at the small amount of pain. This was just the beginning.

'Wrong answer,' said Bellatrix in a loud sing-song voice. 'One more chance, where is Potter?'

Arabella turned her neck slightly, bringing it closer to Bellatrix's, and causing her nails to dig deeper.

'Even if I knew, I would never tell a _bitch_ like you where he is,' snarled Arabella.

Bellatrix stared at her for a moment before throwing her head back and let out a bark of laughter. She took a step back and stared at Arabella with amusement.

'I was right,' said Bellatrix, taking out her wand. 'You would have made a good Death Eater. Too bad, really… Little baby Black knows how to play… no matter, I'll break you soon enough… Crucio!'

Arabella fell to the ground and started to scream. She tried to cover her mouth many times, she tried to bite her lips and hold her tongue, but the pain… _Oh, the pain_… Her body was on fire… She felt as though a hundred knives and more were piercing every inch of her skin… She was in more pain than ever before…

When it ended, Arabella laid on the floor, panting and twitching. Her hands were still bound together with the ropes and they were surely sprained, or even broken. The pain in her whole body was making it difficult to differentiate the pain with her wrists.

'That ought to loosen your tongue,' sneered Bellatrix. 'Where is Potter?'

Arabella was mumbling something under her breath that nobody else in the room could hear. Eagerly, Bellatrix leaned forward. Arabella lifted her head an inch off the floor and said, 'Go fuck yourself,' and fell back down, laughing like a lunatic. Later on, Arabella would realize how much she sounded like Bellatrix, who did not think too kindly of this.

'Where is Potter? TELL ME WHERE HE IS! CRUCIO!'

Arabella twitched, convulsed and rolled on the floor. She didn't scream, as her jaw was closed tightly together. The pain was unbearable… she wanted it to stop… please make it stop… please…

'WHERE IS HE? TELL ME WHERE HE IS! WHERE IS POTTER?'

Arabella turned her body away from Bellatrix and tried to stand up, or at least get into a sitting position. She got her knees on the ground, crouching over the floor when Bellatrix got behind her and kicked her down, making Arabella land back on the ground with an '_oomph_!'

'I'll ask you one last time,' said Bellatrix. Her pressing down on Arabella's left cheek. 'Where. Is. Potter?'

'Is that the best you've got?' said Arabella, smirking up at Bellatrix with an exhausted look, but with a little bit of arrogance. A look that only a Black could pull off and it should be a look Bellatrix was used to seeing. 'You've gone soft, _Bella_.'

Angering Bellatrix wasn't the best idea Arabella has ever had, but nobody has ever accused her of being smart. No, that was Hermione's job. Arabella's job was to be reckless and stupid, and that is exactly what she was doing.

Arabella could feel the anger rising in Bellatrix as she glared down at her. The leg that was on her cheek withdrew and swung forward, kicking her right in the nose, with a small crunching nose that followed.

'_Aaaaaah_!' yelled Arabella in pain. She brought her hands to her face, trying her best not to cry. Warmness spread to her hand and she saw blood everywhere. Gasps of shock escaped her mouth as she stared at her now blood covered hands.

But before anything else could happen, Bellatrix jumped on her.

'NO!' Arabella yelled once again, struggling against her. Flashbacks and old memories came rushing towards her. This was all too familiar, all too similar. 'Get off me! GET OFF ME! LET ME GO! STOP IT! PLEASE, STOP! HELP!'

She screamed from the top of her lungs, her throat going raw with each second, and fought with whatever power and strength she had left in her. But Bellatrix, ever the sadistic witch that she is, seized Arabella's throat and banged her head backwards. With that few seconds of silence and immobilization, Bellatrix turned Arabella over so that she was lying on her belly, with her hands resting uneasily on her stomach.

'I'm going to give you one more chance,' snarled Bellatrix, her mouth moving against Arabella's left ear. Arabella's head was lifted up by her hair and she heard something being drawn out, it sounded as though it was being drawn out from a sheath.

Bellatrix bent Arabella's neck back as far as it could go. She was looking up straight at the dark purple walls while a cold sharp metal pressed against her neck. 'WHERE IS POTTER?' she shouted, her voice echoing off the walls and directly at Arabella's ear.

'I don't know,' sobbed Arabella, trying to think of some happy memory to make this a little better, but it wasn't working. Every thought, every feeling went back to that night many years ago. She remembered her screams and pleas. She remembered the feeling of hopelessness and desperation. This brought everything back and Arabella felt as though she was three years old, watching everything fall apart in front of her eyes.

'_Have mercy_! _She's just a child_!' came her mother's voice in her head. She could hear Kassandra screaming in her head, begging for the pain and torture to go away.

'Please,' whispered Arabella as Bellatrix let go of her hair and her head snapped back to the ground. It was her turn to beg. 'Please don't do this. I don't know where he is. Please… just don't do this.'

There was a small moment of silence in the room. Arabella could hear the heavy breathing in the room coming from Bellatrix. She was still lying on her stomach, Bellatrix still sitting on her back. The fire crackled at times, but everything else was dead silent. It was her calm before the storm.

'Pathetic,' spat Bellatrix. 'Look at you. _Pathetic. _Pathetic, crying little baby. What are you even good for? Yelling for help, is that it? Is that why Potter's kept you with him all this time? _Or is it something else_?' she whispered the last part into Arabella's hear, making her shiver.

There was another moment of silence as Bellatrix's heavy breathing reduced and Arabella knew she calmed down a bit and she started to pet Arabella's hair.

'I'll give you something, though,' she added after a moment of petting Arabella's hair. 'You've _lived _this long. Most people die and submit themselves to me after the first dose of Crucio. There have been some that have struggled and fought, like the Longbottoms, they were fun to watch, and fun to destroy… You're _mummy _on the other end… well, you saw how it was… she was definitely my favourite… You on the other hand… you have such promise… you _would_ have made a good Death Eater. You've lasted this long and you haven't given up on Potter… stupid little witch… I'll have fun _breaking_ you…'

Arabella didn't have time to let any of Bellatrix's words sink it. Within a second of Bellatrix's declaration, Arabella felt very cold and very… _exposed_. Her jacket, her sweater, her bra… it was all gone. She was exposed like a nerve. The cool air touching her skin, mixed with the small spots of warmth coming from the dying fire, she was coming undone and it was painful.

And when the sharp, cold metal came into contact with her skin, Arabella let out a loud shriek of pain that lasted through the night.

**Thank you for reading! **


	19. Masterpiece

**disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, just Arabella. Hope you stomach it a bit. **

Masterpiece

'How bad is it?' Arabella whispered in the cellar.

She was lying on her sweater on the cold, cobblestone ground as Luna and Mr Ollivander tried to control the damage using the sunlight that was shining through the small, bared window. They have been trying for the past couple hours to stop the bleeding, but none of them had wands.

'Well…' said Luna, slowly and tentatively, 'it's not _that _bad. It could be a whole lot worse. At least you're still alive.'

Arabella sighed, curling up as a ball while Luna continued to try and stop the bleeding on her back.

'How… how does it look?' Arabella asked, dreading the answer already.

There was a moment of silence. Nobody answered Arabella for a long time, not even Ollivander, who was in the corner trying to take the threads off her jacket. There was a small noise coming from the water jug being moved around, but other than that, nothing.

'Have you ever seen a picture of an angel that's lost its wings?' asked Luna.

'No,' whimpered Arabella, tears coming to her eyes.

'Well, that's what it looks like,' said Luna, laying a hand on Arabella's shoulder. 'I'm sorry.'

'It's my fault,' Arabella whispered. 'This is the shit that happens when…'

How does she finish that sentence? This is what happens to her when she tries to protect someone? This is what happens to her when she thinks she has a plan? This is what happens to her when she goes up against Bellatrix Lestrange? This is exactly what happens and has been happening to her since the day she was born. She's so stupid.

_I'm just a stupid little girl _Arabella thought. _A stupid little girl that hasn't learned anything in the last seventeen years. _

Honestly, what did she expect was going to happen when she came face to face with Bellatrix? Was everything going to be fine and dandy and that Bellatrix won't lay a finger on her?

_I expected this_ thought Arabella. _I expected to get beaten and tortured and have my skin sliced open like an animal. _

'Okay, I got it, Luna,' said Mr Ollivander. 'Here, I managed to get some cloth to come out. We should be able to cover her back with them, but without water…'

'Don't waste it,' said Arabella, turning her head a faction towards them. 'Don't waste the water on me, please. Just… cover them up, will you?'

They did as she asked, covering her back full of cuts with bits of her jacket before they went back to their respective corners when Narcissa Malfoy entered the cellar, coming in for inspection.

Arabella, now sitting up against the wall, glared at the woman with the deepest hatred she could possibly muster.

'Tell me,' said Arabella in a slightly week voice, 'how does it feel to stand by as your sister tortures your niece?'

Narcissa just points her wand at Arabella's face and says, 'Episkey.'

Arabella's nose felt very hot, then very cold. She raised her hand and felt it quickly. It seemed to have mended.

'Great,' said Arabella sarcastically. 'Now all you can do it fix all the scars on my body. Careful though, you might not be able to stomach all of it.'

'Watch it,' warned Narcissa. 'I was kind enough to fix your nose. Nothing more.' She shifted her eyes around the cellar, making sure Luna and Mr Ollivander were still there. She then looked behind her to make sure that nobody else was listening. 'What did you think was going to happen?' she hissed towards Arabella. 'And don't play games with me, you gave yourself up to Travers and Selwyn, didn't you?'

Arabella just looked towards the small little barred window near the top of the ceiling. There was a small amount of light coming through it and the cracks. Other than that, the cellar was dark. Arabella wonders whether Azkaban looks like this. Which would be better at this point?

'Stupid,' hissed Narcissa once again. 'You gave yourself up for what? To save Potter's skin? You _stupid_ little girl. You knew this was how it was going to turn out. Bellatrix doesn't want to kill you. She wants to torture you to the point of near death. You haven't seen the state of yourself or the scars on your back. You may wear them like a badge of honor, but don't think for one second this is over. She's going to keep coming back for more and more until all the blood is drained out from your body.'

'Sweet story,' commented Arabella dryly, turning to Narcissa. This conversation was draining the energy out of her and the scars on her back were stinging with the slightest of movements. 'You should write that down sometime.'

Narcissa snorted with haughtiness. 'Tortured and still breathing. You keep talking like that and she will finish you off one day.'

'But not today,' said Arabella as Narcissa turned around and walked up the steps out of the cellar.

Weeks go by and nothing happens to Arabella. She has no idea how long it's been since entering the Manor. House-elves come down and bring them some water and bread, but nothing more, and sometimes a lot less. Luna helps her recover. Bless that girl's soul, Luna is a god's send. Mr Ollivander keeps to himself. Apparently just before Arabella was thrown in, he was personally tortured by Voldemort himself. She pities the man and understands when he doesn't talk much to her.

Just as Arabella starts to finally walk, the cellar door opens and a face Arabella thought she would never see comes and gets her.

Extremely short, grubby skin, pointed nose and balding hair, Peter Pettigrew quickly grabbed Arabella and dragged her up the stairs towards the drawing room.

'Filthy bastard,' Arabella jeered at him. 'You should have died in the Shrieking Shack all those years ago.'

Peter Pettigrew ignored her, but she can tell that her comment had hit a nerve within him, but before she could say anything else, Arabella was flung across the floor and rested next to a pair of dark boots. She looked up and saw Bellatrix smirking down at her.

'_Aww_,' cooed Bellatrix, crouching down in front of her. There was a faint noise of shuffled feet as Pettigrew left the room. 'Does it hurt?' she whispered into Arabella's ear. When she tried to move her head, Bellatrix placed a hand on the other cheek and kept her head there as she continued to whisper. 'Did it hurt when I sliced your back? I do hope I get to Potter before the Dark Lord takes him. Oh, the joy I would have watching him scream in front of you, watching him bleed in front of you. I do hope he begs… I like it when they beg…'

Bellatrix's breath was hot and her voice low against Arabella's ear, before she quickly stood up, a small little jump in her step, as she laughed. Bellatrix's laugh echoed through the room and into Arabella's ear. She quickly stood on top of Arabella's back, the heel of her boots resting on top of Arabella's spine before jumping off.

'Now,' began Bellatrix, turning to Arabella as though nothing had happened, 'are you ready to talk? You can answer my questions or I could force them out of you. Which do you prefer?'

Arabella tried to stand up, but was kicked down by Bellatrix, who placed her boot on the top of her spine, keeping her head on the ground.

'Crucio!' yelled Bellatrix.

Her wand was pointed directly at Arabella's scars. She screamed and yelled and convulsed with pain. Her voice had gone raw and red by the time the curse was lifted off of her.

'That ought to do it,' said Bellatrix, all playfulness gone from her voice. 'Where is Potter?'

'I don't know,' mumbled Arabella. Whatever strength she had in her left her body the moment the curse was laid on her.

'Liar!' shouted Bellatrix. 'You know where he is! CRUCIO!'

A jet of red light escaped from Bellatrix's wand and wrapped itself around Arabella. Pain beyond anything in the world. Arabella screamed as though her life depended on it, and it did. She rolled on the floor, screamed, cried for anybody to save her.

'Still not talking,' said Bellatrix, humming. Arabella moved her head a little and saw a smile creeping up on her face. 'No matter. I know what will make you loosen your tongue. Rabastan!'

The doors to the drawing room opened. Haughty, tall, dark hair and with a smirk, Rabastan Lestrange walked in as though he owned the Manor.

'You called?' he drawled out.

'Have at her,' said Bellatrix, waving a dismissive hand towards Arabella. 'Make her talk by all means. Do as you wish.'

'Oh, I will,' Rabastan said in a whisper that carried out towards her.

Arabella's eyes widened as Rabastan's grabbed a hold of her arms and dragged her out of the room and into the hallways.

'No!' she screamed. 'Let go of me! Please! Don't do this! LET ME GO!'

Her voice bounced off the wall, but none more than Bellatrix and Rabastan's laughs. He kept dragging her until they reached a dark corner of the hallway, just around the corner of the drawing room.

Arabella fought against him, she tried, but all her energy, all her will power was already drained out with the torture Bellatrix already laid out on her. She tried to shove Rabastan away, but he slammed her against the wall. The surrounding portraits rattled momentarily and Arabella let out a little groan of pain.

Rabastan held her against wall and laughed momentarily at her sound of pain.

'Suck lovely skin,' he whispered to her, his breath tickling her skin. His hands roamed around her body, groping, caressing, grabbing and scratching at her skin, whether they were covered or not. 'Don't take it personally, Black,' he said as he bit down on the flesh of her neck. Arabella let out a loud yelp. 'Nothing personal.'

Arabella tried to fight back against Rabastan, but, unfortunately, he was stronger than her physically and had her pinned against the wall. She cried. Tears were streaming down her face while Rabastan laughed against her skin before biting down once again. With each bite, it became more painful, eventually breaking the skin near her collarbone. He smeared the blood on her lips before his hands went under her sweater.

'Albania!' she yelled quickly, her mind reeling as quick as she could before his hands went any further in her sweater.

Rabastan took a step back as the doors to the drawing room opened and Bellatrix walked towards them.

'Albania,' Arabella whispered, tasting the blood on her lips. 'They're in Albania. I don't know anything else.'

'Why Albania?' asked Rabastan.

'Because that's where You-Know-Who was when everyone taught him to be dead,' Arabella muttered.

Bellatrix smirked at her before turning to Rabastan.

'Sooner or later, they all break,' she said triumphantly. 'Gather Rodolphus, Dolohov, and Rowle. Search as much ground as you can cover. Check forests and small inns. Potter could be anywhere.'

Rabastan gave her a cut nod before walking down a dark corridor and disappearing. Bellatrix grabbed her upper arm and dragged her back to the drawing room. Arabella expected to go back to the cellar, but, after entering the room, she was thrown off her feet as her head banged against floor. She let out a cry of pain when the back of her head made contact with the hard floor, but immediately quietened when Bellatrix drew out her knife and pressed it against her throat, and sat on her stomach. Their faces were inches away from each other's.

'If you are lying to me,' Bellatrix snarled at her, 'not only will I slit that throat of yours, I will find that half-breed godfather of yours and his wife and kill them in front of you. I hear my _niece _is pregnant. It'll be a shame if I have to kill the beast as well, in front of you. Do you understand me?'

She stared at Arabella with sheer intensity, Arabella was sure she was only speaking the truth. She knew Harry, Ron and Hermione were nowhere near Albania, and had not planned on going there anytime soon. Once Rabastan comes back with the bad news, she was going to die.

'Yes,' whispered Arabella, trying to sound convincing.

Bellatrix drew her knife away swiftly before saying, 'Not good enough,' in a snippy tone.

Arabella's eyes grew wider as Bellatrix flipped her on her belly promptly before her sweater vanished. Bellatrix's fingers traced her scars, probing and scratches against them, drawing blood all the same. Arabella laid her forehead on the ground, closing her eyes and waiting for this to end.

'If you are lying to me,' whispered Bellatrix against her ear, '_this_ will hurt a lot more.'

The tip of Bellatrix's knife touched her skin and Arabella's screams where heard around the house.

* * *

'Your authority! You lost your authority when you lost your wand, Lucius! How are you! Take your hands off me!'

Arabella's eyes fluttered open briefly before they closed once again. She moved her feeble arms briefly before they hit something solid – Luna.

'Whasgoin' on?' Arabella said sluggishly.

'Shush,' whispered Luna.

'Wormtail! Get the girl from the cellar, now!' someone shouted upstairs.

Arabella's hearing drifted in and out as a pair of feet shuffled towards the door of the cellar. 'Stand back from her now!'

Arabella opened her eyes and saw Luna moving away from her and a pair of hands grabbed her arms and dragged her away from the cellar. Her feet stumbled at first and then slumped against the solid body. She tried to open her eyes multiple times, but they fell short. Her whole body was betraying her. It was tired and worn out and the only thing keeping her going was the person dragging her along.

Then they stopped and the person was holding her up while her head dangled on her neck.

'Like what I've done to her?' whispered Bellatrix. Her hands where now on Arabella's jaw, holding her head up, as though presenting her masterpiece to people. '_Isn't she beautiful_?' she purred against Arabella's cheek.

There was a small grunt of struggle, a soft cry from someone and another shouting: '_Arabella_!'

Arabella's ears perked up and she recognized that voice anywhere. It was like a symphony in her ears and it sounded as though it was her saving grace and the only thing in the world that could ever make lift her hopes up in the state that she currently was in.

'_Harry,_' Arabella whispered, smiling for the first time in weeks.

**Thank you for reading!**


	20. Flight of the Mind

**disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, just Arabella. **

Flight of the Mind

'_Harry,_' said Bellatrix in a fake high pitched voice. '_Harry, oh Harry._ Like what I've done to her?' she asked, turning to the group pf captured wizards. Arabella opened her eyes briefly and saw blurred blobs of people struggling. She saw the distinct red hair of a Weasley, bushy hair of a Granger and the jet-black hair of a Potter. The rest were a mystery to her.

'I thought it would be nice to bring her here to watch the death of her beloved _boyfriend_ by the hands of the Dark Lord,' said Bellatrix, holding Arabella's head up towards Harry. 'Get a good look at him, girl,' she whispered in Arabella's ear. 'Because in just a couple minutes, he'll be –'

'Beg your pardon, Mrs Lestrange,' interjected a gruff voice, 'but it's us that caught Potter, and it's us that'll be claiming the gold –'

'Gold!' laughed Bellatrix, one hand still holding Arabella's jaw while the other groping in her pocket for her wand. 'Take your gold, filthy scavenger, what do I want with gold? I seek only the honor of his – of –'

She let go of Arabella's jaw, whose head slacked down. She tried to open her eyes, but her vision was blurry.

'STOP!' shrieked Bellatrix, seizing someone's movements. 'Do not touch it, we shall all perish if the Dark Lord comes now!'

Arabella reluctantly leaned against Peter Pettigrew's body and rubbed her eyes. Her left eye was starting to become a bit more clear and she could see Ron, Hermione, Harry, Dean and a goblin. Bellatrix was walking towards a man she did not recognize. He was quite filthy looking.

'What is that?' said Bellatrix.

'Sword,' grunted the man.

'Give it to me.'

'It's not yorn, missus, it's mine, I reckon I found it.'

There was a bang and a flash of red light. The Snatcher had been Stunned. There was a roar of anger from other people holding the hostages.

'What d'you think you're playing at, woman?' said another man.

'Stupefy!' Bellatrix screamed. 'Stupefy!'

They fell where they stood, all except a man that Arabella recognized as Fenrir Greyback. He was on a kneeling position, his arms stretched out. Bellatrix was bearing down on the werewolf with the sword of Gryffindor gripped tightly in her hands, her face pale.

'Where did you get this sword?' she whispered to Greyback as she pulled his wand out of his grip.

'How dare you?' he snarled, his pointed teeth bore. 'Release me, woman!'

'Where did you find this sword?' she repeated, brandishing it in his face. 'Snape sent it to my vault in Gringotts!'

'It was in their tent,' rasped Greyback. 'Release me, I say!'

She waved her wand, and the werewolf sprang to his feet.

'Draco, move this scum outside,' said Bellatrix, indicating to the unconscious men on the floor. 'If you haven't got the guts to finish them, then leave them in the courtyard for me.'

'Don't you dare speak to Draco like –' said Narcissa furiously, but Bellatrix screamed, 'Be quiet! The situation is graver than you can possibly imagine, Cissy! We have a very serious problem!'

She was panting slightly, examining the sword. Then she turned to look at the silent prisoners.

'If it is indeed Potter, he must not be harmed,' she muttered, more to herself than to the others. 'The Dark Lord wishes to dispose of Potter himself… But if he finds out… I must… I must know…'

Her body then snapped towards Arabella and she held her jaw in her hands once again. Bellatrix Lestrange's fingernails were digging into Arabella's skin, causing it to break. She made sure their eyes were locked onto each other's, letting the silence wash over them for a couple of seconds.

'You know about this don't you?' Bellatrix whispered in a menacing tone. 'The sword, you know about this.'

'No,' Arabella whispered back. She was frightened and Peter Pettigrew held her in place, not allowing her to back away from Bellatrix. 'I don't –'

'LIAR!'

Their faces were inches away from each other and Bellatrix's breath was close to Arabella. She then grabbed Arabella by the hair and threw her towards the ground. She landed face first and with a groan. She curled up on the floor, shielding her stomach. Hermione let out a small cry while Harry and Ron struggled against their capturers.

Bellatrix then turned to Narcissa again, placed her foot against Arabella's cheek.

'The prisoners must be placed in the cellar, while I think what to do!'

'This is my house, Bella, you don't give orders in my –'

'Do it! You have no idea of the danger we are in!' shrieked Bellatrix.

She looked frightened, mad. Arabella was afraid of that look. It could only mean the worse for her.

Narcissa hesitated for a moment, then addressed the werewolf.

'Take these prisoners down to the cellar, Greyback. Black can stay.'

'Wait,' said Bellatrix sharply. 'Except… except for the Mudblood.'

Greyback gave a grunt of pleasure.

'No!' shouted Ron. 'You can have me, keep me!'

Bellatrix hit him across the face.

'I'll take you next,' she said. 'Blood traitor is next to Mudblood in my book. Let's see if she can stomach as much as Black can. Take them downstairs, Greyback, and make sure they are secure, but do nothing more to them – yet.'

She threw Greyback's wand back to him, then took out her knife from under her robes. She cut Hermione free from her other prisoners and threw her towards Lucius Malfoy, who held her where he stood securely. Greyback forced the rest of them to shuffles across towards the cellar.

'Where did you get this sword?' asked Bellatrix. She was looking at Hermione and circling around the fallen Arabella.

'HERMIONE! HERMIONE!' Ron screamed from the cellar.

Hermione nearly sobbed against Lucius Malfoy while everybody else ignored him. When she didn't answer her question, Bellatrix turned around and gave a swift kick to Arabella on her face.

Arabella let out a cry and rolled over, covering her eyes and her nose. Bellatrix then waved her wand and Arabella's sweater disappeared. She held Arabella up by her hair and turned her around.

Hermione let out a scream of shock and horror. Arabella couldn't see her, but was sure she was covering her mouth in shock and trying to taking a step back against Lucius.

Bellatrix held Arabella in place and let her knife glide down Arabella's back. She shivered as the tip of the knife slithered down her new wounds.

'Pretty, isn't it?' said Bellatrix sarcastically, her hand twisting around Arabella's hair as she spoke to Hermione. 'This… this is going to get a whole lot worse for your friend. I know you care more about _her life_ than you do _yours_. Filth like you always have a high sense of moral and loyalty towards the _wrong_ _kind_. Now, where did you get the sword?'

Hermione said nothing, but Arabella could hear her sniff and let out startled noises.

'I'm not going to ask you again! Where did you get the sword? _WHERE_?'

She threw Arabella on the ground, who emitted a small scream as she landed on her badly damaged back. Her back arched away from the cold ground. Arabella started to sob quietly on the floor. Tears were useless. She wishes she could get angry, because that was better than tears. Or maybe it was better to feel nothing at all. Maybe, if she was lucky enough, Bellatrix would finish her off once and for all. Oh, the irony of her being finished off by Bellatrix.

'We found it – we found it!' Hermione screamed. She was struggling against Lucius, trying to get to Arabella. 'Please!'

'LIAR!' shrieked Bellatrix, taking out her wand and whipping it towards Arabella. A jet of red light escaped from it, causing Arabella to scream and twitch for a moment before the curse was released.

'No, I swear – we found it!' said Hermione desperately, tears escaping her face. 'Please! Please, leave her alone!'

'You are lying, filthy Mudblood, and I know it! You have been inside my vault at Gringotts! Tell the truth, _tell the truth_! What else did you take? What else have you got? Tell me the truth or I swear I will run her through with this knife!'

'Nothing! I swear, we only found the sword, nothing else! I'm telling you the truth! Please!'

'Stop lying to me! What else did you take, what else? ANSWER ME!'

There was a sound of skin meeting skin and Arabella turned to see Hermione's head thrown to the side along with Bellatrix's right hand. Just below Hermione's eye was a small cut with a bit of blood dripping out.

Arabella could feel herself fueling up at the image of Bellatrix Lestrange slapping Hermione Granger, her best friend. She wished she had her strength back so that she could attack Bellatrix and make her pay for that, but there were other ways of doing so.

'Pa…' Arabella said in a rasped tone. Bellatrix turned towards her in a snap, narrowing her eyes towards Arabella as she struggled to form a word. 'Pa… Pathe…tic.'

Bellatrix's eyes widened at Arabella's declaration and she knew at that moment, she was going to die. Nobody made a sound for a moment, their eyes darting from Bellatrix to Arabella in rapid speed, as though watching a tennis match.

'What did you say?' Bellatrix said in a hushed tone.

'I said, 'Pathetic',' Arabella said, turning around so that she was lying on her back. She tried not to wince, but instead laughed. She hoped and prayed to all the gods above and to Merlin himself this worked. 'The sword's a fake.'

There was a blow as Bellatrix's boot clicked against Arabella's cheek before Bellatrix jumped on Arabella, pinning her down while her blade slowly danced around her skin, not piercing it – yet.

'Don't lie to me, girl,' Bellatrix said in a whisper that carried out in the room. 'You took the sword from my vault, didn't you? How did you get into my vault?' She started to scream now. 'Did that dirty little goblin in the cellar help you?' She brought the knife to Arabella's arm and started to dig the tip into her skin, making Arabella scream and cry with the pain.

'We only met him tonight!' Hermione sobbed. 'We've never been inside your vault… It isn't the real sword! It's a copy, just a copy!'

'A copy?' screeched Bellatrix, throwing Arabella against the floor once again and walking towards Hermione, getting in her face. 'Oh, a likely story!'

'But we can find out easily!' said Lucius Malfoy. 'Draco, fetch the goblin, he can tell us whether the sword is real or not!'

There were hurried footsteps and a door slam and Draco appeared with the goblin, dragging him along. But Bellatrix ignored him for a moment, staring at Hermione being held by Lucius Malfoy and Arabella lying on the ground, exposed with everyone staring at her.

Arabella slowly got on her hands and knees, trying to stand up when Bellatrix stepped on her back, bringing her back to the ground with a _thud. _Every bone, every muscle, every fiber in her body was screaming and twitching and withering with pain and agony.

'Don't even try,' snarled Bellatrix from above her, her boot keeping Arabella in place.

Arabella closed her eyes for a moment, imagining her life like this. Pain every day by the hands of Bellatrix. Ridiculed by fellow Death Eaters. Rabastan Lestrange dragging her to dark corners, no one stopping him…

'Kill me,' whispered Arabella. She slowly turned her head and looked at Bellatrix at the corner of her eye. 'Kill me and get it over with. Why keep me alive all this time? You'll get bored with me. Kill me. Enjoy the fact that you've killed my family and finished the deed now. Finish it.'

Bellatrix stared at her for a moment, and so did everybody else. Hermione looked as though she either wanted to break down at Arabella's words or comfort her. The Malfoys' faces did not change and they gave no indication of hearing her, though Arabella thought she saw Narcissa's face soften a little. The goblin did nothing and said nothing.

Arabella stared back at Bellatrix, who opened her mouth to say something, when there was a loud _crack_ coming from the cellar. Both of the broke their gazes from each other and turned towards the cellar.

'What was that?' shouted Lucius. 'Did you hear that? What was that noise in the cellar?'

Nobody answered. None of them knew what was going on in the cellar.

'Draco – no, Wormtail! Go down and check!'

Peter Pettigrew walked quickly to the cellar and they all were quite to hear back from him. They heard the door hit the wall but nothing after that.

'What is it, Wormtail?' called Lucius.

'Nothing! All fine!'

Lucius dropped the matter and didn't bother to find out whether or not Pettigrew was coming back upstairs. Bellatrix grabbed the sword from where she was keeping it and handed it to the goblin, who was scrutinizing it with his long fingers.

'Well?' Bellatrix said to the goblin. 'Is it the true sword?'

Hermione closed her eyes, as though praying. Arabella tried to hold her head up, but she was losing her vision once more. Everything was in a blur again.

'No,' said the goblin. 'It is a fake.'

'Are you sure?' said Bellatrix, breathing heavily. 'Quite sure?'

'Yes,' said the goblin.

Bellatrix looked relieved.

'Good,' she said and with a flick of her wand she slashed a deep cut into the goblin's face and he dropped with a yell at her feet. She kicked him aside. 'And now,' she said in a voice of triumph, 'we call the Dark Lord!'

And she pushed back her sleeve and touched her forefinger to the Dark Mark.

'And I think,' said Bellatrix, turning to Arabella, 'I can dispose of you. Your mother, your father and _you_… I will enjoy that, but first, we will get rid of the Mudblood. I'll let your watch your friend die the same way I did with your mother…'

'NOOOOOOOOOO!'

Ron had burst out into the drawing room. Bellatrix looked around, shocked. She turned her wand to face Ron instead –

'Expelliarmus!' he roared, pointing a wand at Bellatrix and hers flew into the air and was caught by Harry, who had sprinted after Ron.

Bellatrix quickly threw Hermione towards Greyback and grabbed Arabella from the floor. There were jets of light flying from either side and Lucius Malfoy collapsed onto the floor, as Bellatrix yelled: 'STOP OR THEY DIE!'

She was holding her knife to Arabella's throat while Greyback's claws where on either side of her throat, as though he was ready to rip them out.

'Drop your wands,' Bellatrix whispered. 'Drop them, or we'll see just how much blood she has left!'

Arabella looked up at the ceiling, closing her eyes and opening them for a while. Her vision was blurry as ever and she was starting to get out of it. She was tired. She was so tired. She just wanted to lie down for a while and just never get up…

'I said, drop them!' screeched Bellatrix, pressing the blade closer to Arabella's throat.

_Do it _thought Arabella. _Finish me off now. _

'All right!' Harry shouted and they dropped their wands to the floor.

'Good!' leered Bellatrix. 'Draco, pick them up! The Dark Lord is coming, Harry Potter! Your death approaches!'

Draco hurried forward and grabbed the wands from the floor and stood aside.

'Now,' said Bellatrix softly, 'Cissy, I think we ought to tie these little heroes up again, while Greyback takes care of the Mudblood. I'll take Black. She ought to watch her friend go out the same way I did with her…'

There was a strange grinding noise from above. All of them looked upward in time to see the crystal chandelier tremble. Then, with a creak and a jingle, it began to fall. The goblin, Bellatrix, Arabella, Greyback and Hermione were directly below it. Bellatrix and Greyback threw themselves aside as the chandelier crashed to the floor in an explosion of crystal and chains, falling on top of the goblin, who was still clutching the sword, Hermione and Arabella.

Ron ran to pull Hermione and Arabella out of the wreckage while Harry wrestled their wands from Draco. There was a shout of 'Stupefy!' and someone dropped to the ground. Arabella didn't know who did. Ron dragged Hermione and the goblin away and pulled Arabella out. Harry ran forward and supported her body.

'Harry,' whispered Arabella, her body slumping and her inner system failing her. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, bringing her closer and protecting her. 'You came for me.' She smiled at him with her eyes closed. She could feel herself drifting away…

'Dobby!' screamed Narcissa. 'You! _You _dropped the chandelier –?'

'You must not hurt Harry Potter,' Dobby squeaked.

'Kill him, Cissy!' shrieked Bellatrix, but there was another loud _crack_.

'You dirty little money!' bawled Bellatrix. 'How dare you take a witch's wand, how dare you defy your masters?'

'Dobby had no master!' squealed the elf. 'Dobby is a free elf, and Dobby has come to save Harry Potter and his friends!'

Arabella gripped the shirt Harry was wearing as they spun on the spot and Disapparated. It was so dark and everything was spinning. She felt so sick and weak. She could drop at any moment and leave –

Then she hit solid ground. She was lying down on something soft and – _wet_? She was lying on her right side on the ground and waves of water hit her body, bringing some sort of relief before she realized how cold she was.

Someone was shouting. Harry? Arabella couldn't turn her head. Her blood was mixing with the water and the soft sand and the sun was blinding everything in her line of vision.

_The light. _The light at the end of the tunnel. Was she dead? Was this it for her? Was this the last chapter in the book of her life? Is this how she wanted to go out as?

Arabella's hand reached out towards the light, trying to grab it or hold onto it. If she can just get there and then she could see –

Someone pushed her on her back and she nearly gasped. She would if she had the energy to do so.

'Dad?' whispered Arabella, gazing up at Sirius Black, who was looking down at her. 'Dad? You're here.'

'_We have to get her inside_,' he said, but when he opened his mouth, it didn't sound like him at all. It was someone else, but that didn't register into Arabella's mind.

'Is Mum here as well?' asked Arabella in a hushed voice. 'Is she here? Are you going to take me to her? Where is she, Dad?'

'_Give me something to wrap her in_!' he snapped towards someone.

Sirius hoisted her up into his arms and wrapped her in some sort of cloth.

'_Everything's going to be fine_,' said Sirius, but still not in his voice. '_You're safe now, Arabella_.'

'I've missed you so much,' said Arabella, nearly sobbing. 'Please… please don't leave me again. She – she nearly killed me, Dad. She did things and – and I was so scared. Please don't leave me, please, please…'

And as Sirius carried her away, Arabella soon passed out, exhausted and waiting to go see Kassandra.

**In my opinion, given their long history together and how much they both _hate _each other, Bellatrix would much rather torture a nearly beaten up and unconscious Arabella and try to get answers out of Hermione (who would nearly crumble watching her best friend go through that) than ask Arabella, who also has not been with them for a couple weeks. **


	21. Together

**disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nah, just Arabella. I just want to thank you all for all your reviews and liking/following this story. It means the world to me. Thank you :)**

**And to Guest: She's completely exposed. There is nothing covering her. _Nothing_. **

**Okay, so this chapter is short, but I wanted to show the inner workings of Arabella's mind and her dreams and subconscious and all of that stuff. And I wrote this just before leaving for work. Next one will be longer, I promise! **

Together

Arabella was standing on top of a rocky hill, overlooking the ocean. There was a soft breeze that brushed through her, hitting her cheek and running through her hair. She closed her eyes and opened her arms, embracing the landscape that was surrounding her. And without knowing what was going to happen next, she took a step forward and fell forward off the cliff, flying through the air… _like a bird_.

Then, instantly, she was in a dark room. All black surrounding her. The unknown, the suffocation and everything seemed to be vibrating. Like a pounding noise, she could feel her bones shake. She was alone and it was dark and nobody was there.

'_Help_!' she screamed. But her voice echoed back to her.

So she ran. She kept running and nothing changed. She was still alone and everything was dark. It was never ending.

Arabella's knees gave out, bringing her to the ground. Her breath was hitched and she felt as though she was going to run out of oxygen soon. She needed to get out of here.

She took a deep breath, taking as much oxygen as she could, scared if she was going to run of it, brought her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, trying to curl herself into a ball.

_'1, 2, 3, 4, 5…' _counted Arabella very slowly. She rocked back and forth until she got to 30 and slowly opened her eyes, a plan forming in her head already.

But once she opened her eyes, she was no longer in the dark room. She was standing in a forest and she was… _naked_.

She covered herself up, wrapping her arm around her breasts and covering up the lower regions of her body, before looking at her surroundings. This forest was familiar to her, and once she realized that no one was around, she dropped her hands and stood there for a moment. She's been here before, but when? It was a long time ago, that's all she remembered.

Then Arabella started to walk forward. Whether she was going in the right direction or not, she did not know. She just had to walk.

She passed by a tree with a very low branch and saw a big blue flannel shirt hanging from it. Glad for the piece of clothing, Arabella quickly pulled it over her head. It reached slightly above her knees and there were no pants to be found anywhere else.

Then she continued to walk, finally getting out of the forest and she stood a couple feet away from a small cottage. It looked like one of the old Disney cottages with smoke coming out of the chimney and a pie sitting on ledge of the window. She could smell it all the way from where she was.

_'Apple_,' said Arabella, licking and smacking her lips together. She walked towards the cottage in anticipation and hunger before it changed in front of her.

No more small cottage. Instead, it was her house in Godric's Hollow. She was back there yet again.

Anxiety built up in her. it seemed to be some sort of set up for her. Arabella quickly turned around and changed into her Animagus form, running from the house as though she was being chased by fire and with each step, it felt as though she was.

Then the scene changed again and Arabella was getting pissed off. She changed back into her human form, thankfully with the blue flannel shirt, and turned around multiple times. She was standing in the Astronomy Tower at Hogwarts. It was slowly approaching nighttime. The sun was setting and the sky was a beautiful mixture of bright and dark colours.

The door to the tower creaked open and a white beam light entered the room and circled around Arabella. It was big in width and length and it wrapped itself around her. She closed her eyes, hoping that it would soon go away. After a few moments, Arabella opened her eyes and looked around, shocked at what she was seeing.

Kassandra Anastas was standing right in front of her, angry, furious and irritated.

'_How dare you_,' she hissed at Arabella, taking a step closer towards her. For a moment, Arabella just started at her mother, not knowing what else to think. What made sense was this: _Arabella was dead_.

Then, without any sort of warning, Kassandra slapped Arabella across her left cheek.

Shocked and touching her cheek, Kassandra pushed Arabella against the stoned pillar, grabbed the collar of her shirt.

'_You are not_,' started Kassandra, '_and I mean this, you are not going to die. Do you hear me_? _I sacrificed _my life_ for you. You are not going to let that woman win. Do you understand me_?_ You are not going to let Bellatrix Lestrange win and get away with this. If you die, that's it. Who's going to avenge me_?_ Who's going to avenge your father_? _Did you ever think about us_? _Or about what she's done to you_? _Are you just going to let her get away with this_?_ Think of everything that woman's done. She needed to die a long time ago. Azkaban was child's play for the likes of her. You need to wake up and finish her once and for all._'

Kassandra let go of Arabella, but she didn't move. '_Finish her or _I finish you.'

'_Yeah_?' said Arabella, turning to her mother with a challenging look. '_And how do you suppose I do that_? _I'm dead_.'

Kassandra snorted. '_You're not dead, not yet anyways_.'

There was a small moment of silence.

'_You gave yourself up to her_,' said Kassandra. '_You are your father's daughter. You are brave, reckless and loyal just like him, just like his brother, my father, my mother and my sister. You are so close_… _Do not let this be the end of you. You have so much more to live for. You need to keep fighting for your life. If you're not going to do it for someone else, I don't care who…_'

And with that, Kassandra faded away, leaving Arabella alone in the Astronomy Tower.

'_I need to wake up_,' Arabella whispered to herself. '_I need to wake up… How do I wake up_? _How do I do that_?'

She looked down at the Hogwart's grounds. There were jagged rocks at the bottom near the base and without thinking about it too long, Arabella knew what she had to do. She stood on the railings of the tower, her feet touching the cold metal. She curled her toes, feeling a sense of dread at the sight of the rocks.

'_No_!' whispered someone behind her. The voice was childlike, almost small and tiny. Arabella looked around to see a small person, three or four, running up to her with ponytails and a blue dress. She stared at Arabella with big grey eyes before slowly climbing up on the rails as well.

'_If we do this_,' whispered the younger Arabella, '_we do this together_.'

'_Together_?' asked Arabella, looking confused.

Younger Arabella held onto older Arabella's hand. It was tiny compared to her larger hand. The child gripped it tightly, giving it a little squeeze. And on Arabella's other side, another hand gripped hers.

'_Together,_' said another Arabella. She beat up and slightly bloody. This was just after the Triwizard Tournament when she saw the return of Voldemort.

Looking forward, Arabella, the current one, sighed. She gripped her younger selves' hands and took a step forward, falling through the sky.

Younger Arabella laughed and screamed in delight, teenage Arabella looked frightened and hugged herself and current Arabella spread her arms out on her sides, waiting for the rocks to –

**Thank you all for reading. **


	22. World Entirely Their Own

**disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, just Arabella. I love how you guys interrupted the previous chapter, but that wasn't exactly Kassandra talking to Arabella. That was literally Arabella slapping Arabella. And, this chapter is rated M towards the end, so you guys don't have to read that part if you don't want to. **

World Entirely Their Own

Arabella's eyes opened with a snap and she gasped. She was wheezing and her back arched from the bed, holding her neck and shivering. It took her a couple minutes for her breathing to become normal and when she did, once her breathing became normal, she looked around the room.

It was a nice room, simple room, quite small though. Ron was sleeping next to the window. His chair was leaning against the window still. Luna was curled up on a chair with Dean, on the ground, leaning against it. Hermione was on Arabella's other side, her head on the bed with the rest of her body on an armchair. Harry was sprawled out on the ground with his hand close to hers. Arabella wondered whether or not he fell asleep holding her hand.

She slowly sat up on the bed, wincing at the pain her back was causing her, and slowly turned around so that her feet touched the floor of the room. She supported herself by her arms and gently nudged Harry with the tip of her foot.

'Harry,' she said in a rough voice 'Harry, wake up. Harry.'

She slowly sank to the floor on her knees and touched Harry's shoulders gripping them when her muscles ached. Harry's eyes fluttered open for a minute before they snapped open.

'You're awake,' he said, sitting up instantly and holding Arabella's arms before hugging her tightly. Arabella winced once again at the impact but slowly relaxed and laid her head on his shoulder. He held her as though he was afraid she was going to leave again.

'How long was I out for?' Arabella asked.

'Two days,' said Harry. 'Hermione and Fleur checked up on you regularly and Hermione wouldn't leave the room except to go to the washroom. She eats here and watches you.'

There was a moment of silence and in that Arabella heard the rush of water in the distance.

'I thought you were dead,' Harry said after a couple more minutes. 'What were you thinking?'

Arabella sighed. 'I… I don't know anymore, Harry. I'm sorry.'

Harry kissed her forehead before helping her back on the bed. 'Er – you should rest for a while more. Fleur said she'll bring you some food if – I mean, when you wake up.'

Arabella heard the small slip up. 'You thought I was going to die?'

Harry swallowed. 'You couldn't see yourself. You were pale and your lips were nearly blue. It looked as though we already lost you. Sorry.'

'It's fine,' said Arabella. 'So… um… what's happened since… you know…'

'Oh, well, before I tell you anything, I probably should get Fleur to check on you or –'

Arabella grabbed his arm just as he was about to get up and leave the room.

'Harry, what happened?'

He said nothing.

'Harry, you have to tell me what happened. Is someone hurt? Did something happen to you or Hermione or Ron or –'

'Arabella,' said Harry softly, holding her hand for a moment. 'Ted, Tonks's father, he's dead.'

Arabella's eyes widened. _Ted_?

'Wha… what?' she said in a hushed tone. 'Ted's dead? How?'

'They were caught by a couple Snatchers and they were killed because they resisted arrest.'

'They? Whose 'they'?'

'Ted, Dirk Cresswell and a goblin named Gornuk,' said Harry solemnly. 'Arabella… I'm sorry.'

'Ted's dead?' said Arabella. Her eyes were watering up and they were quickly swirling around the room. The idea of Ted Tonks dying didn't register into her yet. 'But… it's Ted…'

'I know,' said Harry. He quickly wrapped his arms around her shoulder and held her tightly. 'But, on the Brightside, Remus and Tonks are living together again, apparently she's getting big and ready to pop soon…'

Arabella hiccupped, tears slowly flowing down her face and seeping into Harry's shirt.

'I – I used to call him my Teddy bear,' she said quietly as Harry's grip on her tightened. 'When I was younger… he used to chase me around in the garden. Andromeda was scared that he was going to squash me…' She looked up at him. 'It always amazed her how he could run so fast and yet be so chubby.'

Harry laughed and his laugh woke the others up. Ron woke with a jump and he fell off his chair, landing on the floor and taking out his wand quickly. Hermione squealed at the sighted of Arabella and pushed Harry away, inspecting her. Harry landed on the floor as Luna and Dean slowly woke up as well.

'Oh, Arabella!' Hermione said, checking her forehead and her face. 'How are you? Can you breathe properly? Can you hear me properly? Why are you crying? Are you hungry? You must at least be thirsty –'

'Yeah, I could do with some water,' said Arabella with a soft smile at Hermione. There was a lot of movements and passing of a water bottle from Dean to Ron to Hermione before it finally landed in Arabella's hand.

'Thanks,' she mumbled before quickly finishing the bottle. 'So, what else have I missed? Did anybody else die?'

Hermione's eyes widened as she rounded off to Harry.

'You told her!' she hissed. Harry winced at the look on Hermione's face. 'You do not tell someone that another person has died after they have gone through what she's gone through! Common sense, Harry!'

'Sorry!' said Harry, holding his arms up in surrender. 'But she asked, what else was I supposed to say?'

'You could say 'maybe I'll tell you later',' said Hermione, furious, her hands on her hips. 'Did you ever think of that?'

'Well, of course I did,' said Harry.

'Of you could have waked us up,' said Hermione, continuing on.

'Oh, like the two of you could have handled this better,' said Harry, rolling his eyes.

'Well, better than you, mate,' said Ron.

Arabella rolled her eyes as the three of them bickered. She then turned to Luna and Dean who helped her up and supported her as she asked them to lead her downstairs. In the kitchen she saw Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour talking together. They both stopped when they saw Arabella heading towards them. Bill held open a chair while Fleur passed over a cup of tea towards her.

''Ow are you feeling?' Fleur asked as they heard hurried footsteps coming down to the kitchen as Harry, Ron and Hermione came in.

'Fine,' said Arabella uncertainly. 'I think.'

'How's your… um…' Bill motioned towards her back.

'Hurts,' said Arabella shortly. 'How did I get here? To your house?'

'Dobby brought you here,' said Bill. 'But he got stabbed. I don't know how –'

'She got to him,' said Harry and Arabella nodded, gripped the handle of the teacup tightly. Message received: Bellatrix killed Dobby.

Bill and Fleur glanced at each other but said nothing.

'What happened to his body?' asked Arabella, looking around the room. 'Dobby's body? What did you do with it?'

'We buried it,' said Harry.

'Good,' said Arabella, nodding yet again. She held onto the kitchen table tightly as she stood up. 'Take me there, Harry, please.'

Bill and Fleur both opened their mouths to say something, and even Dean did the same but Arabella held her right hand up, stopping them from going any further.

'None of you know what I've had to face before getting here,' she said slowly. 'If it wasn't for Dobby, we might still be there. I can't say goodbye to Ted, but I will say thank you to Dobby. Now, Harry, please help me and take me there.'

Harry supported her as they left the house together and walked to the end of the garden. There was a small area of freshly dug dirt with a large white stone that read: _Here Lies Dobby, A Free Elf_.

'He's a sleep now,' said Arabella softly as they listened to the sound of ocean waves. 'Thank you, Dobby, for getting us out of there.'

She plucked a couple flowers from the garden and laid them on his grave, sitting down beside Harry as they stared at his name. They heard rustled movements and Hermione and Ron joined them on the ground.

It was Hermione who broke the silence.

'We're breaking into Gringotts.'

Arabella, who felt a bit sleeping, was now alert. She stared at her, then Ron, and finally Harry.

'I'm unconscious for two days,' she said slowly, 'two days and the three of you come up with _this_ plan? Have you lost your bloody minds?'

'It was Harry's idea,' muttered Ron.

Harry shot him a look. 'Thanks, Ron.'

'It's impossible,' Arabella stated.

'It's been done before,' said Ron. 'Seven years ago, remember?'

'But that vault was empty,' said Hermione. 'So there was no real security to an empty one. But this one… well it won't be empty.'

'Oh, god,' groaned Arabella. 'Whose vault is it?'

'The Lestranges,' said Harry.

Arabella stared at him for a while, astonished. She then broke into a smile, laughing soon after that. Hermione and Ron looked alert at her laughter while Harry simply waited for her to finish.

'You're kidding me, right?' asked Arabella, smiling at the three of them. She waited for them to tell her it was some sort of joke. 'Please tell me this is some sort of joke you guys came up with to make me feel better.' She lost her smile when they said nothing. 'You're serious…'

'There's a Horcrux in the Lestrange's vault,' said Harry. 'Bellatrix was terrified when she thought we were in there. She was beside herself. He would have given something as important as a Horcrux to his most devoted servants before he fell.'

'But the security,' said Arabella. 'Their vaults are nearly at the bottom of the place. The lower you get, the more important the vaults are. Only the most ancient and oldest pureblood family vaults are at the bottom and they guard them the most out of the rest. You can't just go in there, barging in and expect to get to…' She looked at their faces. 'You already have a way to get in, don't you?'

'Griphook said he might help us,' said Harry.

'Who?'

'Griphook, the goblin that was captured with Dean,' said Harry. 'He said he'll help us if we give him something back in payment'

'What is it?'

'The sword of Gryffindor.'

'The swo – he can't just take the sword! It's not his sword!'

'According to him, it's not Godric Gryffindor's as well,' said Hermione. 'Apparently, Gryffindor stole it from Ragnuk the First, and that it's a lost treasure of the goblins.'

'But – but we need the sword!' exclaimed Arabella as Ron shushed her, glancing at the cottage. 'Don't shush me, Ron!'

'We'll give it to him after we use it on all the Horcruxes,' said Harry.

'He agreed to that?' asked Arabella, stunned.

'Well… yes,' said Harry, glancing at Hermione and Ron.

Arabella looked at him. 'What did you do?'

'He just doesn't know about the last part yet,' said Ron. 'Well, what choice do we have? Give him another goblin made sword that we clearly don't have?'

Arabella bit her lips, looking worried.

'It'll work,' said Harry, reassuring her.

'We don't know that,' said Ron, shrugging.

'Not helping,' hissed Hermione. 'Anyway, we start planning tomorrow. We wanted you to be awake for it.'

Arabella sighed as they sat there in silence for a while longer.

'Anything else I should know about?' Arabella asked. 'Did something else happen when I was nearly dead? Did someone get married or something?'

Harry hesitated before saying. 'You-Know-Who has the Elder Wand. The Deathly Hallows, they're real, and he has the wand. I've got the Cloak and I'm pretty sure the Stone is in the Snitch Dumbledore gave me.'

Arabella stared at him for a while before slowly nodding her head.

'Anything else?'

'Gregorovitch, the wandmaker, had the Elder Wand a long time ago,' said Harry. 'I saw You-Know-Who trying to find him. When he tracked him down, he found that Gregorovitch didn't have it anymore. It was stolen from him by Grindelwald. I don't know how Grindelwald found out Gregorovitch had it, but it must not have been difficult if Gregorovitch spread a rumor like that. Grindelwald used the Elder Wand to become powerful. Dumbledore was the only one who could stop him at the height of his power. And when they dueled and when Dumbledore beat him, he –'

'Took the Elder Wand,' finished Arabella. 'And they buried him with his wand.'

'But You-Know-Who already knew that,' said Harry. 'And he took it from Dumbledore's grave.'

'So You-Know-Who has an unbeatable wand while we have a goblin?' asked Arabella.

'And a plan,' said Ron.

'Right, because what could possibly go wrong?'

* * *

Arabella entered the smallest room in Shell Cottage the next morning with the others. She frowned as the goblin stared at her for a moment with black eyes.

'You're the girl that said the sword was a fake.'

'Yes,' said Arabella shortly.

'You're related to the Lestranges'.'

'What's your point?'

Griphook stared at her for a moment and did not answer her question. She then turned to the others and they began planning.

'I have visited the Lestranges' vault only once,' he told them, 'on the occasion I was told to place inside it the false sword. It was one of the most ancient chambers. The oldest Wizarding families store their treasures at the deepest level, where the vaults are largest and best protected…'

It was as though they were planning to break into the Ministry all over again. They settled to work in the smallest bedroom, which was kept, according to Griphook's preference, in semidarkness.

They remained shut in the room for hours at a time as days slowly stretched into weeks. There was a problem to overcome, not least of which was that their store of Polyjuice potion was greatly washed-out.

'There's really only enough left for two of us,' said Hermione. 'If we're lucky.'

'That'll be enough,' said Harry.

The other inhabitants of Shell Cottage noticed that something was going on now that Arabella, Harry, Ron and Hermione only emerged for mealtimes. Nobody asked questions, but Arabella could feel Fleur and Bill's eyes on them at the table.

The longer they spent together with the goblin, the more Arabella realized that she did not like him at all. It was first with the sword of Gryffindor, but now it's with him laughing at the idea of pain in lesser creatures and the possibility of hurting other wizards to reach the Lestranges' vault. But they needed Griphook.

Fleur and Hermione were the only ones to mend her back. After weeks, she still tend to bleed every once in a while. Fleur kept muttering under her breath about how they needed to get something to stop the bleeding while Hermione glared at Arabella for forgetting her medicine.

'Honest mistake,' said Arabella after Fleur left the room, speaking to herself in French. 'I really didn't think that _this_ was going to happen to me.'

Hermione's face softened at what she said. 'Do you want to talk about it?'

'No,' said Arabella without hesitation, shaking her head.

No matter who asked her – Harry, Hermione, Ron, Fleur, Bill, Dean – she really didn't want to talk about it. Luna, who knew a bit, didn't tell anyone about it, respecting her wishes. Harry asked her at least once a day, but after a while, she ignored him.

Hermione pursed her lips for a moment before asking, 'Was it as bad as before?'

'Worse,' hissed Arabella.

The door opened and Fleur came back in, carrying some bandages with her. She, with the help of Hermione, patched Arabella up.

'Bill has sent an owl to gez some medicine for your back,' said Fleur as she examined her handy work. 'It should be here soon. Mr Ollivander leaves for Muriel's zis evening and I expect to get ze medicine soon after that. Zis will be much more easier after that.'

Once Fleur left to prepare some dinner, Hermione helped Arabella into a shirt. Arabella then picked up her wand, stowed it away safely, picked up the compass Dumbledore gave her, hung in around her neck and headed downstairs into the sitting room where Ron was laying the dinner table. Behind them, Bill appeared with Ollivander and a large suitcase.

'I'm going to miss you, Mr Ollivander,' said Luna, approaching the old man.

'And I you, my dear,' said Ollivander, patting her on the shoulder. 'You were an inexpressible comfort to me in that terrible place.'

'So, _au revoir_, Mr Ollivander,' said Fleur, kissing him on both checks. 'And I wonder whizzer you could oblige me by delivering a package to Bill's Auntie Muriel? I never returned 'er tiara.'

'It will be an honor,' said Ollivander with a little bow, 'the very least I can do in return for your generous hospitality.'

Fleur drew out a worn velvet case, which she opened to show the wandmaker. The tiara sat glittering and twinkling in the light from the low-hanging lamp.

'Moonstones and diamonds,' said Griphook. Arabella did not notice him until now. 'Made by goblins, I think?'

'And paid for by wizards,' said Bill quietly, and the goblin shot him a dark look.

There was a gush of wind as Bill and Ollivander set off into the night. The rest of them squeezed in around the table, elbow to elbow, barely enough room to move, they started to eat. The fire crackled and popped in the grate beside them. Fleur barely ate, glancing at the window every few minutes and Bill returned once they finished their first course.

'Everything's fine,' he told Fleur. 'Ollivander settled in, Mum and Dad say hello. Ginny sends you all her love, Fred and George are driving Muriel up the wall, they're still operating an Owl-Order business out of her back room. It cheered her up to have her tiara back, tough. She said she thought we'd stolen it.'

'Ah, she eez _charmante_, your aunt,' said Fleur crossly as she marched out of the room with the dirty plates in midair.

'Daddy's made a tiara,' piped up Luna. 'Well, more of a crown, really. He's trying to re-create the lost diadem of Ravenclaw. He thinks he's identified most of the elements now. Adding the billywig wings really made a difference –'

There was a bang on the front door. Everyone's head turned toward it. Fleur came running out of the kitchen, looking frightened. Bill jumped to his feet, his wand pointing at the door. Arabella, Harry, Ron and Hermione did the same.

'Who is it?' Bill called.

'It is I, Remus John Lupin!' called a voice. Arabella's heart fluttered at the sound of his voice. 'I am a werewolf, married to Nymphadora Tonks, and you, the Secret-Keeper of Shell Cottage, told me the address and bade me come in an emergency!'

'Lupin,' muttered Bill, and he ran to the door and wrenched it open.

Remus fell over the threshold. He was white-faced, wrapped in a traveling cloak. He straightened up, looked around the room, making sure of who was there, then cried aloud, 'It's a boy! We've named him Ted, after Dora's father!'

Hermione shrieked. 'Wha –? Tonks – Tonks has had the baby?'

'Yes, yes, she's had the baby!' shouted Remus. All around the table came cries of delight, sighs of relief. Hermione and Fleur both squealed, 'Congratulations!' and Ron said, 'Blimey, a boy!' as if he had never heard of such a thing before.

'Yes – yes – a boy,' said Remus again, who seemed dazed by his own happiness. He strode around the table and hugged Arabella. He held her tightly for a moment, as though the scene in the basement of Grimmauld Place never happened. He then wrapped one arm around her shoulders and grabbed Harry's shoulder.

'You'll be the godfather?' he said to Harry.

'M-me?' stammered Harry.

'You, yes, of course – Dora quite agrees, no one better – she also has a letter in here somewhere –'

Remus searched through his pockets as Harry said, 'I – yeah – blimey –' He took out a small bottle from the back of his pocket and handed it to Arabella, who was in shock. She grabbed the medicine from him and read the little note that Nymph wrote to her:

_ I held up my end of the deal, now it's your turn – NTL_

Arabella snorted at the note then remembering the deal they both made and how Nymph spat in her hands to shake hers. She then laughed, realizing that it actually came true.

'What's funny?' Harry asked.

'Nothing,' said Arabella, smiling at him. 'I've now got to name a kid after her. Brilliant.'

'So you accept?' asked Remus, grinning down at her. The rest of them looked at them in confusion.

'Yeah, I can't back out of it now,' said Arabella, looking at the note again as Remus hugged her once more.

'You'll be a great godmother,' he whispered.

'Not very conventional to have your goddaughter as the godmother to your kid, you know,' said Arabella, wrapping her arms around him and squeezing.

'That's what I told Dora, but she was persistent to have her cousin as the godmother as well,' said Remus. 'I was okay to let you be the aunt and even Andromeda was not sure whether or not it was proper, but Dora told me about the deal.'

'Did she tell you about how she spat into her hands and wanted me to shake it?'

'She told me everything.'

'I'm glad.'

Remus then held her in arm's length, looking at her in concern. Bill was now hurrying to fetch wine.

'Are you okay?' he asked. 'Bill asked for some of the medicine, but didn't say why. Are you hurt? Did something happen?'

Arabella hesitated for a moment. 'Back just hurts a little. Nothing really. You should stay for a while, get a drink before going back to the baby.'

'I can't stay long, I must get back,' said Remus, letting go of her and beaming around at them. He looked younger. 'Thank you, thank you, Bill.'

Bill had soon filled all of their goblets, they stood and raised them high in a toast.

'To Teddy Remus Lupin,' said Remus, 'a great wizard in the making!'

''Oo does 'e look like?' Fleur inquired.

'I think he looks like Dora, but she thinks he is like me. Not much hair. It looked black when he was born, but I swear it's turned ginger in the hour since. Probably bond by the time I get back. Andromeda says Tonks's hair started changing colour the day that she was born.' He drained his goblet. 'Oh, go on then, just one more,' he added, beaming, as Bill made to fill it again.

Remus's news seemed to have taken them out of themselves, removed them for a while from their state of barricade. The news of new life was exhilarating.

'No… no… I really must get back,' said Remus at last, declining yet another goblet of wine. He got to his feet and pulled his traveling cloak back around himself.

'Goodbye, goodbye – I'll try and bring some pictures in a few days' time – they'll all be so glad to know that I've seen you –' He fastened his cloak and made his farewells.

'Take care of yourself, all right?' Remus said, pulling Arabella into another hug. 'Andromeda will be much more pleasant to know that you're safe and well.'

'She's been driving you up the wall?' asked Arabella, smiling.

'You have no idea,' said Remus, beaming as he returned into the wild night.

Arabella slumped on the couch, not even bothering to acknowledge the pain on her back. A tiny little Lupin running around with pink hair made her feel much more better than any sort of medicine could ever do. And Nymph, ever the unconventional witch, wanted her to be the godmother of that baby. She thought that the deal was off the moment the two of them got married. Clearly she was wrong. Arabella will find a way for her to see reason later, get out of this whole godmother deal, but for now…

'Oh, this is wonderful!' gushed Hermione, taking a seat next to her. 'A baby! A little baby boy! Oh, I wonder what he looks like and whether he has chubby cheeks…'

Hermione went on, eccentric, as Ron watched her listing off various baby qualities. Arabella wishes she could be with Nymph right now and hold the little one, but just imaging it was enough for her to get through the night.

'Godmother, Arabella,' said Ron, clapping her back. 'Congrats, mate. You'll be great.'

'You think so?' asked Arabella.

'Yeah,' said Ron, nodding his head. 'Remus was a good one for you and you'll be even better to his kid. You'll be reckless, no doubt, but the kid'll love you, no matter what.'

Hermione smiled at him. 'That… that was sweet, Ron.'

Ron shrugged sheepishly. 'Well, I have my moments.'

Arabella felt a little awkward sitting in between the two of them, but was glad to accept Fleur's offer to go to bed early.

* * *

Arabella was struggling to take off her shirt and get into her nightgown. Every time she moved her back muscles, she would bite her lips to stop a small cry of pain.

Then there was a knock on her door and Harry entered, still smiling at the news that they had heard. He looked amused as he watched Arabella struggle with her shirt that was now tangled with her arms over her head.

'Need some help?' he asked.

'Oh, no,' said Arabella sarcastically, rolling her eyes. 'I think I'm going to go to bed like this, you know. Shirt stuck over my head and my arms aching. Seems like a good way to relax, doesn't it?'

Harry chuckled before helping her. 'Just stay still for a moment… see it's stuck with that compass and your hair… and here we go… ta-da.'

Arabella was freed and standing very close to him in her bra. She blushed, but didn't say anything.

'So,' said Harry, blushing as well, 'godparents, huh?'

'Yeah, I'm gonna have a talk to Nymph about that,' said Arabella, shaking her head.

'Why?'

'Come on, Harry. Goddaughter and godmother? Not very conventional, is it?'

'Not a conventional family,' said Harry, shaking his head.

Arabella nodded. 'True.'

Then silence fell around them as Arabella looked down at her feet, rubbing her toes together and wondering what to do now when Harry kissed her cheek. Slightly surprised, Arabella's eyes widened at his action. He then hugged her, his fingers spread out on her scarred back.

'I'm sorry,' he mumbled, his face snuggling against the crook of his neck. 'I'm sorry you had to go through that and whatever else they did to you. You deserve better.'

Arabella closed her eyes, swallowing the lump in her throat and hugged him back. He then kissed her temple, her cheek, her chin and then kissed her on the lips.

It's been a while since she's had this feel before. That tingling feeling in the pit of her stomach and the warmth that spread through her body. It was with that kiss that they both knew what was going to happen soon. Kids in a war – kids fighting a war. Might as well live for one night.

Arabella's hands than moved to the jacket he was wearing and helped him shrug it off, pushing it away. She then broke away from the kiss, looking at him for a moment.

'Remember that night?' she asked.

'Yeah,' he said. He swallowed before kissing her forehead. 'Are you sure about this?'

Arabella closed her eyes for a moment, remembering that night, all those months ago. It seemed like a lifetime away. They were more foolish and they were safer, more secure at Hogwarts, where Dumbledore was the headmaster. Now, they seemed more old, more wise, but they were still kids, and Arabella wanted to cling on to any happy memories before something really bad happens to her…

'Never been more sure in my life,' whispered Arabella.

And they slowly helped each other out of their clothes, pausing every once in a while to either kiss or, in Harry's case, to ask questions.

'Still sure?'

'_Yes_.'

'Just checking.'

They both knew the outcome of the war for the two of them. With people like Voldemort and Bellatrix running around, they had a one way ticket fifty feet under. They knew this a long time ago. This, what they were going now, was something to make them forget for a while that they had targets on their backs. It was something to make them feel as though they were the only two people in the world and that nobody else outside these four walls mattered. They were in a world entirely their own.

'I'm assuming you've done this before,' said Harry in a playful tone.

Arabella rolled her eyes. 'Oh, yes, Fred was quite pleasing.'

That seemed to wipe the smile off his face. 'Not funny.'

'I beg to differ.'

Harry kissed her once again, pressing their bodies close together and that's when they heard a series of footsteps outside the room. They froze for a moment before they both dropped to ground, rather ungracefully. They both searched frantically through their clothes before Arabella spotted her wand under the bed. She made a dive for it and pointed it at the door. 'Colloportus.'

There was a small knock from the other side and they heard Bill's voice. 'Are you okay in there, Arabella? Do you need anything?'

'Oh, I'm fine,' said Arabella, her voice rather high-pitched. She felt the need to cover herself, but realized that only Harry could see her. 'Just getting ready for bed. Thank you, though.'

'Well, if you need anything…'

'Will do, Bill,' said Arabella, wanting to smack herself and Harry as he sniggered.

'What's that noise?' Bill asked, sounding alert.

'Oh, nothing,' said Arabella, trying to play it off. 'Maybe it's Hermione or Ron from the other room. Or Luna telling Dean about nargles or what not. Good night, Bill!'

'Well, night,' said Bill uncertainly.

Arabella sighed when they heard Bill's retreating footsteps. 'You just had to laugh, didn't you?'

'It was kind of funny,' said Harry, smiling coyly at her.

Arabella rolled her eyes before pointing her wand to each wall of the room, muttering 'Silencio,' and making sure that the door was locked properly before laying her wand on the bedside table.

They both knelt on the floor beside the bed, looking at each other.

'Now, what?' asked Arabella.

'Well, we can do it on the floor again,' said Harry, 'or,' he slid on the bed, 'we can do it on the bed. It's really up to you.'

Arabella looks at him for a moment, trying not to let her eyes wonder and blushing each time she came to think of it. And he picks up on that. He notices her blushing and trying not to look directly at him if not she'll turn more red. He looks amused, but holds her tenderly as she slowly crawls on the bed and kisses him.

Harry gentle cups the side of her neck, his thumb drawing circles on her right cheek. They're on their sides, just looking at each other.

This moment seemed to be a long time coming for both of them, especially to Arabella. For weeks, all she's been thinking about, in the cellar, was Harry. When she heard his voice, she smiled. He kept her from going insane (though seeing Sirius and having a dream about Kassandra would go against that). But to have a moment like this, to be here, feeling no pain, no dread, no fear, just Harry, that's all she needed, that's all she wanted.

'I shouldn't have left,' Arabella said quietly.

Harry looked at her, but had a faraway look. 'You did what you thought was best.'

And he kissed the bridge of her nose as his hands went to her breast and she sighed against his skin. She moves an inch closer and pushes him back against the bed before straddling his hips.

Harry looks up at her, shocked, but soon after with affection. They found a comfortable position, fully using the extra pillows Fleur gave to her ('_You are injured and you are our guest_!_'_).

_I should thank Fleur later_ Arabella thought. _She'll probably kill me or Harry if she finds out. _

But when Harry kisses down her neck, down her collarbone and her nipple, Fleur and Bill and everybody else trying to invade her mind is thrown out by Harry.

Her hands slowly trend into his messy hair that smelled like the sea and his sweat, making it even worse. It's going to look horrible by tomorrow morning and everybody's going to know what they've done and they're going to –

As Harry kisses, licks and does all of _that – _how was she even supposed to think? – her doubts and fears go up in flames and he's doing this on purpose now.

_Asshole_ thought Arabella fondly.

But he'd gentle doing it. His kisses, his hands, the way he pays attention to her back and doesn't shy away from how horrible or ugly it looks. And how he seems to just make the pain go away and make her muscles relax.

She wants it – _they_ both want it. They look at each other and they don't have to say anything to know the truth. Arabella pushes him on his back, against the bed and holds onto his hands, their fingers intertwined as she braces herself and slowly sinks down.

Arabella bites her lips, taking a deep breath as their holds on each other's hands tighten and she's sure her nails are digging into his skin, but he doesn't say anything about him being in pain.

'You okay?' he asks, and she could feel the struggle in his voice to keep it calm and steady. It was probably a struggle to even get his mind to think of something to say.

'Yeah,' said Arabella, her head barely nodding. And with their intertwined fingers, she slowly begins to move, trying to keep a slow pace or at least a steady one.

He meets her with each push, earning either a soft moan or sigh from her, and when he wraps an arm around her, she realizes he doesn't care about whether he enjoys _this_, he wants her to feel something. So with each kiss, with each thrust, with each sound their making, she returns the favour and the sensation he was giving her.

She has no idea how much longer they're going to last. Ten minutes? Five minutes? Two more seconds? Hopefully it'll last.

He then wraps both his arms, bringing her closer and kissing her hard with his fingers in her hair and holding her close as though afraid that she might leave him in this very compromising position. They move together once again, holding each other close while his lips move against her neck, as though trying to say something while she whispers in his ear his name over and over and over again until –

She clutches his shoulders tightly, moaning, as his hold tightens as he shudders. She pushes against him once more, holding herself there, remembering this moment before finally letting go and kissing Harry's forehead. She slowly gets off him and lies down next to him as he throws the blanket over him.

He looks at her – really looks at her and smiles, as though proud of something.

'What?' asked Arabella.

'Nothing,' said Harry nonchalantly.

'No, come on, what is it?'

'I was just thinking…'

'_What_?'

He looks at her in smugness before kissing her cheek and whispering into her ear: 'Did I just do that?'

Arabella looked puzzled at him for a moment before rolling her eyes. 'You look more of a mess than me, okay?'

'Mmm, sure,' said Harry, kissing her one more time before taking the wand from the bedside table and turning off the lights.

The wiggle and shuffle until they find a comfortable position and she wonders whether or not the floor would be a better option until they both just lie on their stomachs, nudging each other through the night.

**Thank you for reading! Who do you guys think Arabella should be in the next chapter when they break into Gringotts? **


	23. Chocolate

**disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, just Arabella. Damn, you guys really liked the last chapter. Thank you! Okay, not the Gringotts chapter, but a small filler that is somewhat dedicated to sarahmichellegellarfan1, who, I believe, has been waiting for this for a while. I'm still working out the finer details of the next chapter, but wanted to post this as a separate chapter. I hope you like it! **

Chocolate

Arabella was falling off the bed. Half her body was already gone to the floor while the other half was clutching the sheets. Slowly, she slid to the ground and crawled towards the bathroom. She really didn't want Harry to wake up all of a sudden and see her arse. He should have done that yesterday.

Once the door was closed, Arabella drew herself a bath. She watched the cold water fill up the tub before slowly getting in. The cold water was nice. It relaxed her muscles. She sat there for a while, thinking.

Little Teddy Lupin. Edward Remus Lupin. Was Nymph up with him right now? Was Remus changing his diaper? Does the baby have a set of lungs? Was he a Nymph or Remus's carbon copy? There were so many things Arabella wanted to know about the new addition. She needed to go see him.

She hopes to see him at least once in her life. Anything more and she'd be a very lucky person.

Feeling the water turn lukewarm, Arabella slid further in the tub and went under for a while. She closed her eyes and stayed there for a while, holding her breath. She savours moments like this when she's alone and everything is peaceful for a short time.

There was a muffled sound and Arabella sat up, taking in a deep breath and pushing her wet hair away from her face.

'Oh, I didn't – I'll come back later or –'

'You've already seen me naked, there's nothing to be embarrassed about,' said Arabella, looking over at Harry, who at least was wearing pants.

'Well, I just thought you wanted some privacy,' said Harry, sitting on the toilet.

'I'd love some company,' said Arabella, leaning against the tub and smiling at him. 'I don't think I got enough of it last night.'

Harry's eyebrows rose and she laughed.

'Oh, god, your face,' said Arabella, pointing at him. 'It's funny.'

'Ha ha, whatever,' said Harry, rolling his eyes.

Arabella continued to laugh while Harry waited patiently for her to finish. He knelt beside the tub and out his hand on her shoulder.

'Arabella,' he said, taking a deep breath, 'I need to tell you something.'

'Are you breaking up with me, Harry?' asked Arabella.

'Come on –'

'I understand you want to see other people, but I don't think it's a good time to start looking for other people while we're trying to –'

'Arabella,' said Harry loudly, 'I'm trying to tell you something here and I would appreciate it if you would just… give me a minute, please.'

Arabella dropped her smile. 'Harry, what's wrong? Is everything alright?'

Harry took another deep breath. 'Look, last night was… well, you know, you were there… it was, you know…'

'Yeah, get to the point, Harry. You're making me nervous.'

'Okay, well, I just wanted to first say, thank you for you know, and I wanted to say that I lo –'

'If you finish that sentence, I will punch you.'

Harry looked stunned. 'What?'

Arabella straightened up and squared her shoulders. 'If you're going to say what I think you're going to say, don't. Don't finish that sentence, ever. Because if you ever finish that sentence today or tomorrow or the day after or the day after that, it will ruin everything and I will hurt you. So, please, I'm begging you. Please don't finish that sentence.'

Harry was a little speechless for a while, looking confused. 'I don't – what's – you said it to me before!'

'But that was different,' said Arabella, heating up. 'Different place and different situation. You're just saying it because you think that you're not going to live, right? Don't lie to me, Harry Potter. You know it and I know it. Say it to me when you feel it and when we're not in constant danger by everybody else in the world.'

'If you think that I'm just going to say it because I'm going to kick the bucket, then _you're _wrong. I feel that every day. Every moment, every second of the day. I feel it when you're not in the room and when you're sitting right beside me. I felt it last night when Remus said that Tonks gave birth to a boy and when you gave yourself up to Bellatrix – which you should talk to me about, by the way.'

Arabella started at Harry for a moment, scrutinizing him. 'You – er – you really feel that? All of that?'

Harry sighed, holding her hand and gripping it tightly. 'Look, you and me, we both have a short life expectancy. You know that, I know that, Ron and Hermione know that, any wizard in the world knows that. But everything I said is true. And you have to know that. I have to tell you that because we don't have forever, none of us do.'

Arabella leaned against the rim of the tub, moving closer to him. 'Why? Why do you lo – chocolate me? I'm not saying that word, Harry, and you can't make me. I'm not someone a person falls in love with.'

Harry curled her wet hair behind her ear. 'I lo – chocolate it when you're angry. I know that sounds a little weird, but it's true. I lo – chocolate it when you're peaceful, but there's something about you when you're angry. You light up when things in the world are trying to beat you down. There's a spark in you that's… you're angry, bold, reckless. You're fired up and I would fall you to the end of the world.'

Arabella blinked a couple times.

'I still lo – chocolate the peaceful side of you as well, don't get me wrong. I always want to curl up beside you or just hold you when nothing's happening and you don't have to worry for one day. Because I didn't just fall in lo – chocolate with you one day and that was it. Falling in lo – chocolate was easy. Doing what we did yesterday was nerve racking, but easy as well. But you… look, you chose me and I chose you, and isn't that what matters at the end of the day? You may feel as though you don't deserve to be lo – chocolated, but you do. Okay, and you make me believe in something, and – and –and lots of other things that I can't even express into words because it's unexplainable. There! I lo – chocolate you so much that I can't even explain it. Are you happy?'

Arabella gaped at him for a while before she smiled, a big one as well that stretched across her face and nearly ached as well.

'Yeah,' she said, heave a sigh. 'Yes. I chocolate you too as well.'

'Oh,' said Harry, nodding. 'Well, that's that I guess.'

'Yeah, I guess it is,' said Arabella, nodding with him.

'Yeah,' said Harry. They looked at each other for a while, letting the silence fill the room before Harry said, 'Do we have to keep using the word 'chocolate'?'

'Yes,' said Arabella at once. 'Just… just for a while, okay? After that we can use that other horrible word.'

'It's not a horrible word.'

'If you were me, then you would say that word's horrible. Just agree with me on this one.'

'I don't.'

'_Pretend_, Harry.'

'Fine, fine, I will.'

There was a knock on the door and Fleur popped her head in. Her eyes widened when she saw Arabella and Harry. The former naked in the tub and the latter without a shirt, sitting on the floor. She gaped at the two of them before regaining some composure.

'Breakfast,' she said quickly before leaving the bathroom and the bedroom.

Arabella pursed her lips, trying not to laugh. 'I think we scared her a little.'

'It's not as though she hasn't been in something like this with Bill,' said Harry. 'Probably, I think.'

'Just take a shower, Harry,' said Arabella, getting up and taking the stopper out. 'I'll go and see if Fleur's alright.'

Arabella wrapped a towel around herself as Harry said, 'You know, I'm always the one that confesses my lo – chocolate over you. You haven't really said a speech like me.'

'Yeah, and?'

'Just putting it out there. Be nice to have a speech about me from _someone_…'

Arabella turned her head to look at him. 'One day, Harry, I promise.'

She kissed his cheek and left to go get changed. Once she was done, and she heard the shower run from the bathroom, she went downstairs and saw Bill sitting on the kitchen table, reading The Daily Prophet.

'Where's Fleur?' asked Arabella, taking a seat.

'Went to go get the others,' said Bill, flipping a page. '_You know_… Silencing Charms goes wonders.'

Arabella choked on her own spit. 'You – you know?'

Bill looked up at her. 'We all know,' he said gravely.

'W – what? All? Who's all? What do you know?'

Bill laughed, a hearty one, as he put the paper down. 'I'm just poking some fun. I figured it out last night. You rushed me away from the room, sounded as though you were scared of getting caught and Fleur caught you two naked just now.'

Arabella gawked at him. 'Well… Harry wasn't completely naked. He had pants on this morning.'

'Did he have them on last night?'

'No,' said Arabella in a small voice.

There were footsteps coming down the stairs and Fleur, Hermione and Ron entered the kitchen. Fleur kissed Bill's cheek before giving Arabella a uncomfortable look and getting some coffee for the whole table.

'So, everybody sleep alright?' Hermione asked politely around the table.

Bill snorted very loudly and Arabella kicked him under the table, clenching her jaw before softening up. Her shoulders started to shake and she was laughing alongside Bill while the Hermione and Ron stared at them in puzzlement.

**Thank you for reading! **

**On one note: I'm working on another AU One-Shot that was like The Demise of the Young, and before I go any further, I wanted to get your opinion on it, just to make sure that you guys like the idea and that it's fine. So there's the idea: **Arabella disappears after Sirius's death and nobody knows where she is. Remus, Tonks, Dumbledore and Mad-Eye tell him nothing, but Harry knows something's up. On the night of Dumbledore's death, they see her and she's supporting a new accessory: The Dark Mark. **So, what do you think? **


	24. Gringotts

**disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, just Arabella. I'm so glad you all liked the last chapter, though it was really small. This one is definitely longer and thank you for all your responses to the AU that I was thinking about. Hope you like this chapter! **

Gringotts

'Er… Hermione, can you come here for a moment?' asked Arabella, looking in between the two small phials that contained hair.

'What's wrong?' asked Hermione, sounding worried.

'Which one is Lucius Malfoy's?' Arabella asked, holding the phials up.

'The white haired one. Why?'

'They're both white.'

'No, they're not –'

Hermione stopped mid-sentence when she grabbed the phials and held them up against the light. There was a look of horror on her face and her hands were shaking.

'They look the same,' she said in a hushed voice. 'Oh, god, we didn't label them. They look the same. They look the _same_…'

'We'll just have to take the chance,' said Arabella, sighing. 'I didn't know Bellatrix had white hair. She must be getting old.'

'What does that matter?' exclaimed Hermione. 'Who cares if she's getting old? We don't even know which one's hers!'

'You don't get it,' said Arabella. 'And it doesn't matter. Even if you become Bellatrix, it doesn't matter. The plan will work.'

Hermione looked up at Arabella. 'I don't want to be her. I don't know _how_ to be her!'

'Just act as though everybody else in the world in below you and you pretty much got it.'

Hermione kept breathing heavily and sat down on the bed in the guest room Arabella was sleeping in.

It was dawn and the room was chilly. Bill and Fleur left a couple hours ago, along with Luna and Dean. Arabella didn't know where they, but was sure they were all safe. Harry, Ron and Griphook were in the garden, waiting for them. The bedside table held two small mugs filled with Polyjuice Potion, waiting for the hair and for them to drink. They had to do it soon.

'Look, either way, it doesn't matter,' said Arabella, trying to reassure Hermione, though she didn't believe what she was saying. 'As long as we get past the guards and all the other goblins, we're good. Now, let's drink and get this over with.'

Hermione stared at the two phials, concentrating, before Arabella grabbed the both and hid them behind her back.

'Okay, pick a hand,' said Arabella, switching them between her hands.

'This is not something you leave to chance!' hissed Hermione.

'Got a better idea then?'

Hermione's face fell and she looked at Arabella's arms. 'Left.'

Arabella dropped the phial into Hermione's outstretched arm and grabbed the mugs from the bedside table. She dropped the hair into the liquid. It hissed ad turned into a dark grey colour while Hermione's turned into a puke green one.

As Arabella raised the mug, Hermione said, 'Wait! I change my mind, I want that one.'

'Hermione, stop worrying,' said Arabella. 'Everything will be fine!'

Before Hermione could say anything else, Arabella took a big gulp and Hermione followed suit. It tasted like spoiled milk.

Arabella gagged, trying not to puke, but it tasted _revolting_. Her insides started to grumble. Her height increased and her hair turned a different colour, shortening by an inch. She straightened her spine and saw Bellatrix Lestrange in front of her.

'Oh, shit,' whispered Arabella in Lucius Malfoy's slick voice.

'I told you we should have switched!' hissed Hermione in Bellatrix's low voice.

'Hey, you picked the hair! We'll just have to deal with it.'

Conceding that there was no way out of this, they just changed, both not very happy with what they got.

'She tasted disgusting,' muttered Hermione, 'worse than Gurdyroots!'

'He wasn't really a nice smoothie, either,' said Arabella. 'Tasted worse than feet.'

They had transformed some of clothes to match what Lucius Malfoy and Bellatrix Lestrange would wear. It was dark and they tried to make it look rick with the embodiments of snakes.

'I hate this thing,' said Hermione, looking at Bellatrix's wand. 'I really hate it. It feels wrong… It's like have a bit of _her _with me.'

'At least you have a wand,' mumbled Arabella, low enough that Hermione couldn't hear. 'Let's just go.'

Hermione tucked her small, beaded bag into the inside pocket of her robes as both of them went downstairs and out into the garden where Harry, Ron and Griphook were standing next to Dobby's grave. As they got closer and closer, Arabella realized how much she was going to miss the sound of the sea.

'How'd it go?' Harry asked.

'Horrible,' snapped Hermione. 'We got the hairs switched up and now I'm _her, _while Arabella's _him_.'

'_What_?' hissed Griphook. 'The plan was supposed to be that Arabella Black as Bellatrix Lestrange. She would be more convincing, not _you_!'

'Shut up,' whispered Arabella. 'Hermione will be fine, alright? Now, shut your fat, little –'

'Okay, okay,' said Harry as Hermione was transforming Ron's appearance. He was standing next to Arabella, touching her hand gently. 'Let's not make the goblin angry. The same goblin that's trying to help us break into the vault and knows all the secrets of Gringotts, remember?'

Arabella grumbled under her breath, scowling every once in a while in the direction of the goblin.

'There,' said Hermione, 'how does he look?'

Ron's hair was now long and wavy. He had a thick brown beard and mustache, no freckles, a short, broad nose, and heavy eyebrows.

'Well, he's not my type, but he'll do,' said Harry. 'Shall we go, then?'

All four of them glanced back at Shell Cottage, lying under the fading stars, then turned and began to walk toward the point, just beyond the boundary wall, where the Fidelius Charm stopped working and they would be able to Disapparate. Once past the gate, Griphook climbed up on Harry's back and Hermione threw the Invisibility Cloak over the both of them.

After that, they Disapparated. Arabella held onto Hermione's arm as they appeared in the doorway of the Leaky Cauldron. The bar was nearly deserted. Tom, the landlord, was polishing glasses behind the bar counter.

'Madam Lestrange,' murmured Tom, inclining his head. 'Mister Malfoy,' he inclined his head once again.

'Tom,' Arabella said curtly and made her way out of the Inn into the tiny backyard. She held her head up and looked down at Tom with unconcern.

'Good morning,' said Hermione and Arabella wanted to hit her head against the wall.

'Too polite!' hissed Arabella once they were all outside. 'Don't be nice! Be Bellatrix! She treats everyone like scum! Treat people like scum!'

'Okay, okay!'

Hermione drew out Bellatrix's wand and rapped a brick in the wall in front of them. At once the bricks began to whirl and spin. A hole appeared in the middle of them, which grew wider and wider, finally forming an archway onto the narrow cobbled street that was Diagon Alley.

It was quiet, barely time for the shops to open, and there were hardly any shoppers around. Many shops were closed and there were several posters of Harry's face with the caption: UNDESIRABLE NUMBER ONE underneath.

A number of people sat huddled in doorways. Some pleading for gold, others moaning. One man had a bloody bandage over his eye. As they set off along the street, the beggars glimpsed at Arabella and Hermione. They seemed to melt away, drawing hoods over their faces and fleeing as fast as they could. The man with the bloodied bandage came staggering right across their path.

'My children,' he bellowed, pointing at Hermione. His voice was cracked and high-pitched. 'Where are my children? What has he done with them? You know, _you know_!'

'I – I really –' stammered Hermione.

The man lunged at her, reaching for her throat. Then, with a bang and a burst of red light, he was thrown backward onto the ground, unconscious. Ron stood there, his wand still outstretched and a look of shock visible behind his beard.

Arabella wondered whether it would be better to leave and think of a different pan, but before they could even move an inch, they heard a cry from behind them.

'Malfoy! Lestrange!'

Arabella whirled around and groaned when she saw Travers striding towards them.

'Travers,' said Arabella coolly.

'And what do you want?' asked Hermione with contempt.

Travers stopped in his tracks.

'I merely sought to greet you,' said Travers, 'but if my presence is not welcome…'

'It is not,' said Arabella, imagining sinking her knife into his neck. 'Now, if you don't mind, Travers, we have to get going…'

'I am surprised to see you two out and about,' said Travers. 'I heard that the Inhabitants of Malfoy Manor were confined to the house, after the _escape_.'

'The Dark Lord forgives those who have served him most faithfully in the past,' said Hermione. 'Perhaps your credit is not as good with him as ours is, Travers.'

Travers did not look as suspicious now. He glanced down at the man Ron had Stunned.

'How did it offend you?'

'It does not matter,' said Arabella coldly. 'It will not do so again.'

'Some of these wandless can be troublesome,' said Travers. 'While they do nothing but beg I have no objection, but one of them actually asked me to plead her case in the Ministry last –'

'Travers, get to the point or leave us be,' snapped Arabella. 'Me and Bella have some important work to do for our Dark Lord and I would appreciate it if you would leave us alone.'

Travers scowled at Arabella. 'You've got a lot of nerve, Lucius. If you have forgotten, you have lost your wand, so you have lost the authority to speak to me in such a way –'

'Travers, you have lost _your _authority the moment Bella stunned you in front of Black and a house-elf had to escort your body out of my house,' said Arabella. 'Now, if you don't mind, we have business to attend to. _For the Dark Lord_. Let's go, Bella.'

'You're the one that lost Potter and the others and you _dare_ speak to me like this,' hissed Travers. 'The two of you followed a false trail and you dare speak to me as though you're _superior_,' he spat out. 'Rabastan told me what you made him do,' he told Hermione, who survived him coolly, 'if you would have let me have her before that, she would have told me where Potter _truly_ was and we would all be in His good graces.'

Arabella was shaking. 'Clinging to the fact that you've accomplished nothing else during this time, Travers? Leave us be and will be discussion your _failures_ another time.'

Before Travers could say anything else, Arabella, Hermione and Ron turned and walked away. Hermione was clutching Arabella's arm, sensing how much she was shaking. Ron looked around tentatively and saw that Travers did not follow them.

'_Stupid_!' breathed Griphook from under the Invisibility Cloak. '_You should not have lost your temper_! _He is surely going to go tell He Who Must Not Be Named right now_!'

'_He's got other things to worry about_,' said Harry.

Arabella closed her eyes and took a deep breath, remembering the dark corridor in Malfoy Manor.

'What did he mean when he mentioned Rabastan?' whispered Hermione as they continued to walk along the cobbled street.

'Nothing,' snapped Arabella, clutching Hermione's hand. 'Nothing, he meant nothing.'

'Did they…' Hermione began, looking around, 'did they do something to you?'

'Nothing,' Arabella said once again, wincing at the memory of Rabastan biting against the flesh of her skin. 'Nothing happened.'

The continued on the street and within a couple minutes, the arrived at the foot of the marble steps leading up the great bronze doors. The usual goblins that were on either side of the entrance were now replaced by two wizards, both of whom were clutching long thin golden rods.

'_Probity Probes_,' whispered Griphook.

They were supposed to detect spells of concealment and hidden magical objects. Arabella walked up first, followed by Hermione and Ron, barely giving the wizards another glance.

'One moment, sir,' said the guard, raising his Probe.

'What do you want?' asked Arabella in a cold, silky voice.

The guards looked confused. One of them stared down at their probe and then looked at his companion, who said in a slightly dazed voice, 'Yeah, they're fine, Marius.'

They walked forward, Harry and Griphook following behind invisibly. Two goblins stood before the inner doors and within a second, they were standing in the vast marble hall of the bank.

The long counter was manned by goblins sitting on high stools serving the first customers of the day. Arabella, Hermione and Ron headed toward an old goblin who was examining a thick gold coin through an eyeglass. Arabella cleared her throat.

'Mister Malfoy! Madam Lestrange!' said the goblin, startled. 'Dear me! How can I help you today?'

'I wish to enter my vault,' said Hermione.

The old goblin seemed to recoil a little.

'You have… identification?' asked the goblin.

'What is the meaning of this?' sneered Arabella.

'Identification? I – I have never been asked for identification before!' said Hermione.

'Your wand will do, madam,' said the goblin. He held out a slightly trembling hand. The goblin took Bellatrix's wand, examined it closely, and then said, 'Ah, you have had a new wand made, Madam Lestrange!'

'What?' said Hermione, 'No, no, that's my wand.'

The old goblin behind the counter clapped his hands and a younger goblin approached.

'I shall need the Clankers,' he told the goblin, who dashed away and returned a moment later with a leather bag that seemed to be full of jangling metal, which he handed to his senior. 'Good, good! Now, if you will follow me, Madam Lestrange,' said the old goblin, hopping off his stool and vanishing from sight. 'I shall take you to your vault.'

He appeared around the end of the counter, jogging happily toward them, the contents of the leather bag still jingling.

'Wait – Bogrod!'

Another goblin came scurrying around the counter.

'We have instructions,' he said with a low bow to Hermione and Arabella. 'Forgive me, Madam and Mister, but there have been special orders regarding the vault of Lestrange.

He whispered urgently in Bogrod's ear, but the goblin shook him off.

'I am aware of the instructions; Madam Lestrange wishes to visit her vault… Very old family… old clients… This way, please…'

And he hurried toward one of the many doors leading off the hall and passed into the rough stone passageway beyond.

'We're in trouble, they suspect,' said Harry as the door slammed behind them and he pulled off the Invisibility Cloak. Griphook jumped down from his shoulders. 'He's Imperiused,' he added, nodding at Bogrod. 'I don't think I did it strongly enough, I don't know…'

'What do we do?' asked Ron. 'Shall we get out now, while we can?'

'If we can,' said Hermione, looking back toward the door into the main hall.

'We've got this far, I say we go on,' said Harry.

'Good!' said Griphook. 'So, we need Bogrod to control the cart. I no longer have the authority.'

Harry pointed his wand at Bogrod, who whistled to summon a little cart that came rolling along the tracks toward them out of the darkness. Arabella heard shouting behind them in the main hall as they all clambered into it, Bogrod in front of Griphook, Arabella, Harry, Hermione and Ron crammed together in the back.

With a jerk, the cart moved off, gathering speed. The cart began twisting and turning through the passages, sloping downward all the time. Arabella's white hair flew all over face before she pushed them aside. _Malfoy needs to get a haircut _she thought.

They were getting deeper and deeper inside Gringotts. She's been here a couple times. Her family's vault is in here somewhere…

They took a hairpin bend at speed and saw ahead of them, with seconds to spare, a waterfall pounding over the track.

'No!' shouted Griphook, but there was no braking.

They zoomed through it. Arabella was hit with water in her eyes and her mouth. She could not see or breathe. Then, with an awful lurch, the cart flipped over and they were all thrown out of it. The cart smashed into pieces against the passage wall, and Arabella felt herself glide back toward the ground as though weightless, landing painlessly on the rocky passage floor.

'C – Cushioning Charm,' Hermione spluttered, as Ron pulled her to her feet and did the same to Arabella. To Arabella's utter horror, Ron was no longer wearing his disguise and Hermione was no longer Bellatrix. She quickly grabbed some of her hair and saw that it was no longer white blond but dark brown once again.

'The Thief's Downfall!' said Griphook, clambering to his feet. 'It washes away all enchantments, all magical concealment! They know there are imposers in Gringotts, they have set off defenses against us!'

Hermione checked that she still her had beaded bag and Harry made sure he has his Invisibility Cloak. They then turned to see Bogrod shaking his head in bewilderment.

'We need him,' said Griphook, 'we cannot enter the vault without a Gringott's goblin. And we need the clankers!'

'Imperio!' Harry said, his voice echoing through the stone passage. Bog's befuddled expression changed into one of polite indifference as Ron hurried to pick up the leather bag of metal tools.

'Harry, I think I can hear people coming!' said Hermione.

'Lead the way, Griphook!' said Harry.

'How are we going to get out again?' Ron asked as they hurried on foot into the darkness after the goblin.

'Let's worry about that when we have to,' said Harry. 'Griphook, how much further?'

'Not far, Harry Potter, not far…'

And they turned a corner and saw the thing that they were warned about, but was still brought all of them to a halt.

A gigantic dragon was tethered to the ground in front of them, barring access to four or five of the deepest vaults in the place. The beast's scales had turned pale and flaky during it's time under the ground, its eyes were milky pale. Both rear legs were chained to the rocky floor. It turned its ugly head towards them and roared with a noise that made the rocks tremble, opened its mouth, and spat a jet of fire that sent them running back up the passageway.

'It is partially blind,' panted Griphook, 'but even more savage for that. However, we have the means to control it. It has learned what to expect when the Clankers come. Give them to me.'

Ron passed the bag to Griphook, and the goblin pulled out a number of small metal instruments that when shaken made a long ringing noise like miniature hammers on anvils. Griphook handed them out.

'You know what to do,' Griphook told Arabella, Harry, Ron and Hermione. 'It will expect pain when he hears the noise. It will retreat, and Bogrod must place his palm upon the door of the vault.'

The advanced around the corner again, shaking the Clankers and the noise echoed off the rocky walls, magnified. The dragon let out another hoarse roar, then retreated, trembling.

'Make him press his hand to the door!' Griphook urged Harry, who turned his wand again upon Bogrod, who pressed his palm to the wood, and the door of the vault melted away to reveal a cave-like opening crammed from floor to ceiling with golden coins and goblets, silver armor, skins of strange creatures, and a skull still wearing a crown.

'Search, fast!' said Harry as they all hurried inside the vault.

There was then a muffled clunk from behind them. The door had reappeared, sealing them inside the vault, and they were plunged into total darkness.

'No matter, Bogrod will be able to release us!' said Griphook as Ron gave a shout of surprise. 'Light your wands, can't you? And hurry, we have little time!'

'Lumos!'

They all lit their wands, examining the piles of objects surrounding them.

'Harry, could this be –? Aargh!'

Hermione screamed in pain, and they turned her wand towards her in time to see a jeweled goblet tumbling from her grip. But as it fell, it spilt, became a shower of goblets, so that a second later, with a great clatter, the floor was covered in identical cups rolling in every direction, the original impossible to discern amongst them.

'It burned me!' moaned Hermione, sucking her blistered fingers.

'They have added Germino and Flagrante Curses!' said Griphook. 'Everything you touch will burn and multiply, but the copies are worthless – and if you continue to handle the treasure, you will eventually be crushed to death by the weight of expanding gold!'

'Okay, don't touch anything!' said Harry desperately, but even as he said it, Ron accidently nudged one of the fallen goblets with his foot, and twenty more expanded into being while Ron hopped on the sop, part of his shoe burned away by contact with the hot metal.

'Stand still, don't move!' said Hermione, clutching at Ron.

'Just look around!' said Harry. 'Remember, the cup's small and gold, it's got a badger engraved on it, two handles – otherwise see if you can spot Hufflepuff's symbol anywhere, the –'

They directed their wands into every nook and crevice, turning cautiously on the spot. It was impossible not to brush against anything. Arabella sent the crown flying everywhere while a great cascade of fake Galleons fell to the ground by Harry. They were all glowing with heat on the ground and the vault felt like a furnace.

'_It's there, it's up there_!'

Arabella, Ron and Hermione pointed their wands to where Harry's was. The highest shelf possessed the cup that had belonged to Helga Hufflepuff.

'And how the hell are we going to get up there without touching anything?' asked Ron.

'Accio Cup!' cried Hermione.

'No use, no use!' snarled Griphook.

'Then what do we do!' said Harry, glaring at the goblin. 'If you want the sword, Griphook, then you'll have to help us more than – wait! Can I touch stuff with the sword? Hermione, give it here!'

Hermione fumbled insider her robes, drew out her beaded bag, rummaged from a few second, then removed the shining sword. Harry seized it by its rubied hilt and touched the tip pf the blade to a silver flagon nearby, which did not multiply.

'If I can just poke the sword through a handle – but how am I going to get up there?'

The shelf was out of reach for any of them. They were trapped and they didn't know how to get up there. On the other side of the door, the dragon roared and the sound of clanking grew louder.

'Harry, stand still for a while,' said Arabella, trying to back up and not touch anything. 'And trust me.' She pointed her wand at Harry and said 'Levicorpus.'

Harry rose into the air by his ankle. He hit a suit of armor and replicas burst out of it, filling the cramped space. With screams of pain, Arabella, Ron, Hermione and the goblin were knocked aside into other objects, which also began to replicate. Half buried in a rising tide of red-hot treasure, they struggled and yelled has Harry thrust the sword through the handle of Hufflepuff's cup, hooking it onto the blade.

'Impervius!' screeched Hermione, trying to protect them from the burning metal.

Then Griphook scream the worst of them all and he began to sink out of sight, nothing but the tips of his fingers in view.

Arabella seized Griphook's hand and Harry took the other one.

'Liberatocorpus!' yelled Harry, and with a crash, the three of them landed on the surface of the swelling treasure.

'Get it!' Harry yelled. 'Where's the sword? It had the cup on it!'

The clanking on the other side of the door was increasing by each passing second and it was –

'There!'

It was Griphook who saw the sword apparently. Arabella could not see what had happened, but hoped that Harry got there first. She tried to kick away the treasures in the vault but just kept burning her skin and then the vault opened up again and she found herself sliding uncontrollably on an avalanche of fiery gold and silver that escorted them into the outer chamber.

Arabella lifted her head and saw that Griphook was gone. He had sprinted for cover among the surrounding goblins, brandishing the sword and crying, 'Thieves! Thieves! Help! Thieves!' He vanished in the advancing crowd who accepted him without question.

The four of them jumped to their feet.

'Stupefy!' they bellowed out. Jets of red light flew into the crowd of goblins, and some toppled over, but others advanced, and there were several wizard guards running around the corner.

The chained dragon let out a roar, and a gush of flames flew over the goblins. The wizards fled, doubled up, back the way they had come.

'Relashio!' yelled Harry, pointing his wand at the thick cuffs chaining the dragon to the floor.

The cuffs broke open with loud bangs.

'This way!' Harry yelled, and sprinted towards the blind dragon.

'Harry – Harry – what are you doing?' cried Hermione.

'Are – you – _mental_?!' roared Arabella.

'Get up, climb up, come on –'

The dragon did not realize that it was free. Harry pulled himself onto its back and stretched out an arm. Arabella hoisted herself, Hermione and Ron doing the same behind them. And a second later the dragon became aware that it was unchained.

With a roar it reared. Arabella dug her knees, clutching as tightly as she could as the wings opened, knocking the shrieking goblins aside like skittles, and it soared into the air. They flat on its back, scrapped against the ceiling as it dived toward the passage opening, while pursuing goblins hurled daggers that glanced off its sides.

'We'll never get out, it's too big!' Hermione screamed, but the dragon opened its mouth and belched flames again, blasting the tunnel, whose floors and ceiling cracked and crumbled. The dragon clawed and fought its way through.

Arabella closed her eyes against the heat and the dust and clung onto the back of the dragon. Then she heard Hermione yelling, 'Defodio!'

She was helping the dragon enlarge the passageway, carving out the ceiling as it struggled upward toward the fresher air, away from the goblins. Arabella, Harry and Ron copied her, blasting the ceiling apart with more gouging spells. They passed the underground lake, and the great beast seemed to sense freedom and space ahead of it, and behind them the passage was full of dragon's thrashing while ahead the dragon's fire kept their progress clear –

And then at last, but the combined force of their spells and the dragon's strength, they had blasted their way out of the passage into the marble hallway. Goblins and wizards shrieked and ran for cover, and finally the dragon had room to stretch its wings. Turning its head, it could smell beyond the entrance, and too off with Arabella, Harry, Hermione and Ron still clinging to its back as it forced its way through into Diagon Alley and launched itself into the sky.

**Thank you for reading! Tell me what you think!**


	25. Aberforth Dumbledore

**disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, just Arabella. Hope you like it! **

Aberforth Dumbledore

There was no way of them steering the dragon. It could not see where it was going, and if it turned sharply or rolled in midair, they would find it impossible to cling onto its back. London expanded below them. Arabella clung onto the scales as hard as she could as Hermione seemed to be sobbing while Ron kept screaming from the top pf his voice.

After about five minutes or so, felt better that they were getting further and further away from Gringotts, but her stomach wasn't feeling good and she was sure she was going to spill the contents of her stomach soon.

'What do you reckon it's looking for?' Ron yelled as they flew farther and farther north.

'No idea,' Harry bellowed back.

Arabella's hands were getting numb from the cold, but she didn't dare move them. The sun was slipping lower in the sky as the dragon continued to fly over the cities and towns, casting a shadow over the earth.

'Is it my imagination,' shouted Ron after a stretch of silence, 'or are we losing height?'

Lower and lower the dragon flew over the green mountains and lakes. The landscape became more detailed as Arabella turned her head.

'I saw we jump when it gets low enough!' Harry shouted to them. 'Straight into the water before it realizes we're here!'

They agreed, waiting for the right moment to –

'NOW!'

Arabella slid off the side of the dragon and plummeted feet first toward the surface of the lake. The drop was longer than it seemed and she was hit with the water hard. She kicked toward the surface and emerged, panting to see enormous ripples of circles where Harry, Ron and Hermione had fallen. The dragon did not seem to have noticed anything. It was fifty feet away, swooping low over the lake to scoop up water in its snout.

They struck out for the opposite shore. The lake did not seem to be deep but it became a struggle to fight their way through weeds and mud, and at last, they flopped, panting and exhausted into slippery grass.

Hermione collapsed, coughing and shuddering as Ron lay down on the grass. Arabella sunk to her knees and hugged herself. Harry staggered to his feet and drew out his wand, casting the protective spells around them.

Arabella had angry red burns all over her face and arms and her clothes were burned away in places. She took her bag out from Hermione's beaded bag and took out her medicine, rubbing some on herself before passing it to Hermione, Ron, and Harry who just joined them. They then changed into dry robes and drank some pumpkin juice from Shell Cottage.

'Well, on the upside,' said Ron finally, 'we got the Horcrux. On the downside –'

'– no sword,' said Harry through gritted teeth.

'No sword,' repeated Ron. 'That double-crossing little scab…'

Harry pulled the Horcrux from the pocket of the wet jacket he had taken off and set it down on the grass in front of them. It glinted under the sun.

'At least we can't wear it this time, that'd look a bit weird hanging around our necks,' said Ron.

Hermione looked across the lake to the far bank where the dragon was still drinking.

'What'll happen to it?' she asked. 'Will it be alright?'

'It'll be fine,' mumbled Arabella.

'You sound like Hagrid,' said Ron. 'It's a dragon, Hermione, it can look after itself. It's us we need to worry about.'

'What do you mean?' said Hermione.

'Well I don't know how to break this to you,' said Ron, 'but I think they _might_ have noticed we broke into Gringotts.'

All four of them started to laugh, and once started, it was difficult to stop. Arabella's stomach ached and she laughed until her throat turned raw.

'What are we going to do, though?' said Hermione finally, serious again. 'He'll know, won't he? You-Know-Who will know we know about his Horcruxes!'

'Maybe they'll be too scared to tell him!' said Ron hopefully. 'Maybe they'll cover up –'

'Yes, because we're all able to hide things from You-Know-Who,' said Arabella sarcastically, 'who can read minds and –'

Harry turned suddenly where he was lying and they turned towards him. His eyes were closed and he was whispering under his breath. They couldn't hear him, but was sure what was going on.

'Harry?' said Hermione slowly.

They went to his side and pushed him on his back. He struggled against them, but continued to move his mouth soundlessly before his eyes flew open.

'He knows,' he said in a hoarse voice. 'He knows and he's going to check where the others are and the last one,' he was on his feet at once, 'is at Hogwarts. I knew it. I _knew _it.'

'What?'

Ron gaped at him while Hermione sat up looked worried.

'But what did you see? How do you know?'

'I saw him find out about the cup, I – I was in his head, he's – he's seriously angry, and scared too, he can't understand how we knew, and now he's going to check the others are safe, the ring first. He things the one at Hogwarts is safe, because Snape's there, because it'll be so hard not to be seen getting it. I think he'll check that one last, but he could still be there within hours –'

'Did you see where in Hogwarts it is?' asked Ron, scrambling to his feet too.

'No, he was concentrating on warning Snape, he didn't think about exactly where it is –'

'Wait, _wait_!' yelled Arabella as Ron caught up to the Horcrux and Harry pulled out the Invisibility Cloak again. 'We can't just go –'

'We don't have a plan –!' cried Hermione.

'We need to –'

'We need to get going,' said Harry firmly. 'Can you imagine what he's going to do once he realizes the ring and the locket are gone? What if he moves the Hogwarts Horcrux, decides it isn't safe enough?'

'But how are we going to get in?'

'We'll go to Hogsmeade,' said Harry, 'and try to work something out once we see what the protection around the school's like. Get under the Cloak, I want to stick together this time.'

'But we don't really fit –'

'It'll be dark, no one's going to notice our feet.'

The noise of enormous wings echoed across the black water. The dragon had drunk its fill and risen into the air. They paused in their preparations to watch it climb higher and higher until it vanished over a nearby mountain. Then Arabella and Hermione walked forward and took their place as Harry pulled the Cloak down as far as it would go, and together they turned on the spot into the darkness.

* * *

Arabella's feet touched the road. She saw the familiar Hogsmeade High Street. She held onto Hermione's arm as she looked at the dark shops when in a second, it happened.

In the air was a scream that made Arabella's skin crawl and their appearance had caused it. She knew it at once. She looked at Hermione, the look of horror evident in her face, when the door of the Three Broomsticks burst open and a dozen cloaked and hooded Death Eaters dashed into the streets, their wands in the air.

One of the Death Eaters raised his wand, and the screaming stopped.

'Accio Cloak!' roared one of the Death Eaters.

Harry seized his folds, but it made more attempt to escape. The Summoning Charm had not worked on it.

'Not under your wrapped, then, Potter?' yelled the Death Eater who had tried the charm and then to his fellows. 'Spread now. He's here.'

Six of the Death Eaters ran toward them. They backed as quickly as they possible down the nearest side street, and the Death Eaters missed them by inches. They waited in the darkness, listening to the footsteps running up and down, beams of light flying along the street from the Death Eater's searching wands.

'Let's just leave!' Hermione whispered. 'Disapparate now!'

'Great idea,' said Ron.

'We know you are here, Potter!' shouted a Death Eater. 'There's no getting away! We'll find you!'

'They were ready for us,' whispered Harry. 'They set up that spell to tell them we'd come. I reckon they've done something to keep us here, trap us –'

'What about Dementors?' called another Death Eater. 'Let'em have free rein, they'd find him quick enough!'

'The Dark Lord wants Potter dead by no hands but his –'

'The Dementors won't kill him! The Dark Lord wants Potter's life, not his soul. He'll be easier to hill if he's been Kissed first!'

There were noises of agreement.

'We're going to have to try to Disapparate, Harry!' Hermione whispered.

Even as she said it, Arabella felt the unnatural cold being spread over the street. Light was sucked from the environment and they could not Disapparate. The Death Eaters had cast their charms well. The cold was biting deeper into Arabella's skin. The four of them retreated down the side street, groping their way along the wall trying not to make a sound.

Then, around the corner, gliding noiselessly, came Dementors, ten or more of them, visible because they were of a thicker darkness than their surroundings, with their black cloaks and their scabbed and rotting hands. They seemed to be coming more quickly now, closing in –

Harry raised his wand and whispered, 'Expecto Patronum!'

The silver stag burst from his wand and charged. The Dementors scattered and there was a triumphant yell from somewhere out of sight.

'It's him, down there, I saw his Patronus, it was a stag!'

The Dementors retreated and the footsteps of the Death Eaters were becoming louder, but there was a grinding of bolts nearby, and a door opened on the left-side of the narrow street, and a rough voice said, 'Potter, in here, quick!'

The four of them hurried through the open doorway without hesitation.

'Upstairs, keep the Cloak on, keep quiet!' muttered a tall figure, passing them on his way into the street and slammed the door behind him.

Arabella did not know where they were, but now she saw the grubby inside of the Hog's Head Inn. They ran behind the counter and through a second doorway, which led to a trickery wooden staircase, which they climbed as fast as they could. The stairs opened into a sitting room with a durable carpet and a small fireplace, above which hung a single large oil painting of a blonde girl who gazed out at the room with a vacant sweetness.

Shouts reached from the streets below. Still wearing the Invisibility Cloak on, they hurried toward the window and looked down. Their savior, the barman of Hog's Head, was the only person not wearing a hood.

'So what?' he was bellowing into one of the hooded faces. 'So what? You send Dementors down my street, I'll send a Patronus back at 'em! I'm not having 'em near me, I've told you that. I'm not having it!'

'That wasn't your Patronus,' said a Death Eater. 'That was a stag. It was Potter's!'

'Stag!' roared the barman, and he pulled out a wand. 'Stag! You idiot – Expecto Patronum!'

Something huge and horned erupted from the wand. Head down, it charged toward the High Street, and out of sight.

'That's not what I saw,' said the Death Eater, though was less certainly.

'Curfew's been broke, you heard the noise,' one of his companions told the barman. 'Someone was out on the streets against regulations –'

'If I want to put my cat out, I will, and be damned to your curfew!'

'_You _set off the Caterwauling Charm?'

'What if I did?' Going to cart me off the Azkaban? Kill me for sticking my nose out of my front door? Do it, then, if you want to! But I hope for your sakes you haven't pressed your little Dark Marks, and summoned him. He's not going to like being called here, for me and my old cat, is he, now?'

'Don't worry about is,' said one of the Death Eaters, 'worry about yourself, breaking curfew!'

'And where will you lot traffic potions and poisons when my pub's closed down? What will happen to your little sidelines then?'

'Are you threatening –?'

'I keep my mouth shut, it's why you came here, isn't it?'

'I still say I saw a stag Patronus!' shouted the first Death Eater.

'Stag?' roared the barman. 'It's a _goat_, idiot!'

'All right, we made a mistake,' said the second Death Eater. 'Break curfew again and we won't be so lenient!'

The Death Eater strode back towards the High Street. Hermione moaned with relief, wove out from under the Cloak and sat down on a chair. Harry drew the curtains then pulled the Cloak off himself, Arabella and Ron. They could hear the barman down below, re-bolting the door of the bar, then climbing the stairs and entering the room.

'You bloody fools,' he said gruffly, looking from one to the other of them. 'What were you thinking, coming here?'

'Thank you,' said Harry. 'We can't thank you enough. You saved our lives!'

The barman grunted, and Harry approached him.

'It's your eyes I've been seeing in the mirror.'

There was a silence in the room. Harry and the barman looked at each other.

'You sent Dobby.'

The barman nodded and looked around for the elf.

'Thought he'd be with you. Where've you left him?'

'He's dead,' said Harry. 'Bellatrix Lestrange killed him.'

The barman's face was impassive. After a few moments he said, 'I'm sorry to hear it, I liked that elf.'

He turned away, lightning lamps with prods of his wand, not looking at any of them.

'You're Aberforth,' said Harry to the man's back. 'How did you get this? Harry walked across to a mirror on the mantelpiece.

'Bought it from Dung 'bout a year ago,' said Aberforth. 'Albus told me what it was. Been trying to keep an eye out for you.'

Ron gasped.

'The silver doe,' he said excitedly. 'Was that you too?'

'What are you talking about?'

'Someone sent a doe Patronus to us!'

'Brains like that, you could be a Death Eater, son. Haven't I just proved my Patronus is a goat?'

'Oh,' said Ron. 'Yeah… well, I'm hungry!' he added defensively as his stomach gave an enormous rumble.

'I got food,' said Aberforth and he sloped out of the room, reappearing moments later with a large loaf of bread, some cheese, and a jug of mead, which he sent upon a small table in front of the fire. Rapacious, they ate and drank, and for a while there was sound of chewing.

'Right then,' said Aberforth when they had eaten their fill and slumped dozily into their chairs. 'We need to think of the best way to get you out of here. Can't be done by night, you heard what happens if anyone moves outdoors during darkness. Caterwauling Charm's set off, they'll be onto you like bowtruckles on doxy eggs. I don't reckon I'll be able to pass of a stag as a goat a second time. Wait for daybreak when curfew lifts, then you can put your Cloak back on and set out on foot. Get out of Hogsmeade, up into the mountains, and you'll be able to Disapparate there. Might see Hagrid. He's been hiding in a cave up there with Grawp ever since they've tried to arrest him.'

'We're not leaving,' said Harry. 'We need to get into Hogwarts.'

'Don't be stupid, boy,' said Aberforth.

'We've got to,' said Harry.

'What you've got to do,' said Aberforth, leaning forward, 'is to get as far from here as you can.'

'You don't understand. There isn't much time. We've got to get into the castle. Dumbledore – I mean, your brother – wanted us –'

'My brother Albus wanted a lot of things,' said Aberforth, 'and people had a habit of getting hurt while he was carrying out his grand plans. You get away from this school, Potter, and out of the country if you can. Forget my brother and his clever schemes. He's gone where none of this can hurt him, and you don't owe him anything.'

'You don't understand,' said Harry again.

'Oh, don't I?' said Aberforth quietly. 'You don't think I understood my own brother? Think you know Albus better than I did?'

'I didn't mean that,' said Harry. 'It's… he's left me a job.'

'Did he now?' said Aberforth. 'Nice job, I hope? Pleasant? Easy? Sort of thing you'd expect an unqualified wizard kid to be able to do without overstretching themselves?'

Arabella looked down. Ron gave a rather grim laugh. Hermione was looking strained.

'I – it's not easy, no,' said Harry. 'But I've got to –'

''Got to'?' Why 'got to?' He's dead, isn't he?' said Aberforth roughly. 'Let it go, boy, before you follow him! Save yourself!'

'I can't.'

'Why not?'

'I – But you're fighting too, you're in the Order of the Phoenix –'

'I was,' said Aberforth. 'The Order of the Phoenix is finished. You-Know-Who's win, it's over, and anyone who's pretending different's kidding themselves. It'll never be safe for you here, Potter, he wants you too badly. So go aboard, go into hiding, save yourself. Best take these three with you. They'll be in danger long as they live now everyone knows they've been working with you.'

'I can't leave,' said Harry. 'I've got a job –'

'Give it to someone else!'

'I can't. It's got to be me, Dumbledore explained it all –'

'Oh, did he now? And did he tell you everything, was he honest with you? I knew my brother, Potter. He learned secrecy at our mother's knee. Secrets and lies, that's how we grew up, and Albus… he was a natural.'

Aberforth's eyes traveled to the painting of the girl over the mantelpiece. It was the only picture in the room.

'Mr Dumbledore,' said Hermione timidly. 'Is that your sister? Ariana?'

'Yes,' said Aberforth tersely. 'Been reading Rita Skeeter, have you, missy?'

'Elphias Doge mentioned her to us,' said Harry.

'That old berk,' muttered Aberforth. 'Thought the sun shone out of my brother's every office, he did. Well, so did plenty of people, you four included, by the looks of it.'

'Dumbledore cared about Harry,' said Arabella. 'He cared about Harry very much.'

'Did he now?' said Aberforth. 'Funny thing how many of the people my brother cared about very much ended up in a worse state than if he'd left 'em well alone.'

'What do you mean?' asked Hermione breathlessly.

'Never you mind,' said Aberforth.

'But that's a really serious thing to say!' said Hermione. 'Are you – are you talking about your sister?'

Aberforth glared at her.

'When my sister was six years old, she was attacked, by three Muggles boys. They'd seen her doing magic, spying through the back garden hedge: She was a kid, she couldn't control it, no witch or wizard can at age. What they saw, scared them, I expect. They forced their way through the hedge, and when she couldn't' show them the trick, they got a bit carried away trying to stop the little freak doing it.'

Hermione's eyes were huge in the firelight. Ron looked slightly sick. Arabella lightly lifted her shirt higher, shivering. Aberforth stood up, terrible in his anger and the intensity of his pain.

'It destroyed her, what they did. She was never right again. She wouldn't use magic, but she couldn't get rid of it. It turned inward and drove her mad, it exploded out of her when she couldn't control it, and at times she was strange and dangerous. But mostly she was sweet and scared and harmless.

'And my father went after the bastards that did it,' said Aberforth, 'and attacked them. And they locked him up in Azkaban for it. He never said why he'd done it, because the Ministry had known what Ariana had become, she'd have been locked up in St. Mungo's for good. They'd have seen her as a serious threat to the International Statute of Secrecy, unbalanced like she was, with magic exploding out of her at moments when she couldn't keep it in any longer.

'We had to keep her safe and quiet. We moved house, put it about she was ill, and my mother looked after her, and tied to keep her calm and happy.'

_'I _was her favourite,' he said. 'Not Albus, he was always up in his bedroom when he was home, reading his books and counting his prizes, keeping up with his correspondence with 'the most notable magical names of the day',' Aberforth succored. '_He _didn't want to be bothered with her. She liked me best. I could get her to eat when she wouldn't do it for my mother, I could calm her down, when she was in one of her rages and when she was quiet, she used to help me feed the goats.

'Then, when she was fourteen… See, I wasn't there,' said Aberforth. 'If I'd been there, I could have calmed her down. She had one of her rages, and my mother wasn't as young as she was, and… it was an accident. Ariana couldn't control it. But my mother was killed.

'So that put paid to Albus's trip round the world with little Doge. The pair of 'em came home for my mother's funeral and then doge went off on his own, and Albus settled down as head of the family. Ha!'

Aberforth spat into the fire.

'I'd have looked after her, I told him so, I didn't care about school, I'd have stayed home and done it. He told me I had to finish my education and _he'd _take over from my mother. Bit of a comedown for Mr Brilliant, there are no prizes for looking after your half-mad sister, stopping her blowing up that house every other day. But he did all right for a few weeks… till he came.'

And now a positively dangerous look crept over Aberforth's face.

'Grindelwald. And at last, my brother had an _equal_ to talk to someone just as bright and talented as _he _was. And looking after Ariana took a backseat then, while they were hatching all their plans for a new Wizarding order and looking for _Hallows, _and whatever else it was they were so interested in. Grand plans for the benefit of all Wizardkind, and if one young girl was neglected, what did that matter, when Albus was working for _the greater good_?

'But after a few weeks of it, I'd had enough, I had. It was nearly time for me to go back to Hogwarts, so I told 'em, both of 'em, face-to-face, like I am to you, now,' and Aberforth looked downward at Harry. 'I told him, you'd better give it up now. You can't move her, she's in no fit state, you can't take her with you, wherever it is you're planning to go, when you're making your clever speeches, trying to whip yourselves up a following. He didn't like that. Grindelwald didn't like that at all. He got angry he told me what a stupid little boy I was, trying to stand in the way of him and my brilliant brother… Didn't I _understand,_ my poor sister wouldn't _have _to be hidden once they'd changed the world, and led the wizards out of hiding, and taught the Muggles their place?

'And there was argument… and I pulled my wand, and he pulled out his, and I had the Cruciatus Curse used on me by my brother's best friend – and Albus was trying to stop him, and then all three of us were dueling, and the flashing lights and the bangs set her off, she couldn't stand it and I think she wanted to help, but she didn't really know what she was doing, and I don't know which of us did it, it could have been any of us – and she was dead.'

His voice broke on the last word and he dropped down into the nearest chair. Arabella wished she had not heard any of it and could wipe her mind clean of it.

'I'm so… I'm so sorry,' whispered Hermione.

'Gone,' croaked Aberforth. 'Gone forever.'

He wiped his nose on his cuff and cleared his throat.

''Course, Grindelwald scarpered. He had a bit of a track record already, back in his own country, and he didn't want Ariana set to his account too. And Albus was free, wasn't him? Free of the burden of his sister, free to become the greatest wizard of the –'

'He was never free,' said Harry.

'I beg your pardon?' said Aberforth.

'Never,' said Harry. 'The night that your brother died, he drank a potion that drove him out of his mind. He started screaming, pleading with someone who wasn't there. 'Don't hurt them, please… hurt me instead.''

Arabella stared at Harry. He had never gone into details about what had happened on the island on the lake.

'He thought he was back there with you and Grindelwald, I know he did,' said Harry. 'He thought he was watching Grindelwald hurting you and Ariana… It was torture to him, if you'd seen him then, you wouldn't say he was free.'

After a long pause Aberforth said, 'How can you be sure, Potter, that my brother wasn't more interested in the greater good than in you? How can you be sure you aren't dispensable, just like my little sister?'

'Dumbledore loved Harry,' whispered Arabella.

'Why didn't he tell him to hide, then?' shot Aberforth. 'Why didn't he say to him, 'Take care of yourself, here's how to survive'?'

'Because,' said Harry, 'sometimes you've _got _to think about more than your own safety! Sometimes you've _got_ to think about the greater good! This is war!'

'You're seventeen, boy!'

'I'm of age, and I'm going to keep fighting even if you've given up!'

'Who says I've given up?'

''The Order of the Phoenix is finished',' Harry repeated. ''You-Know-Who's won, it's over, and anyone who's pretending different's kidding themselves.''

'I don't say I like it, but it's the truth!'

'No, it isn't,' said Harry. 'Your brother knew how to finish You-Know-Who and he passed the knowledge on to me. I'm going to keep going until I succeed – or I die. Don't think I don't know how this might end. I've known it for years.

'We need to get into Hogwarts,' said Harry said. 'If you can't help us, we'll wait till daybreak, leave you in peace, and try to find a way in ourselves. If you _can_ help us – well, now would be a great time to mention it.'

Aberforth remained fixed in his chair, gazing at Harry. At last he cleared his throat, got to his feet, walked around the little table, and approached the portrait of Ariana.

'You know what to do,' he said.

She smiled, turned, and walked away along what seemed to be a long tunnel pained behind her. They watched her figure retreating until finally she was swallowed by the darkness.

'Er – what –?' began Ron.

'There's only one way in now,' said Aberforth. 'You must know they've got all the old secret passageways covered at both ends, Dementors all around the boundary walls, regular patrols inside the school from what my sources tell me. The place has never been so heavily guarded. How can you expect to do anything once you get inside it, with Snape in charge and the Carrows as his deputies… well, that's your lookout, isn't it? You say you're prepared to die.'

'But what…?' said Hermione, frowning at Ariana's picture.

A tiny white dot reappeared at the end of the painted tunnel, and now Ariana was walking back toward them, growing bigger and bigger as she came. But there was somebody else with her now, someone taller than she was, who was limping along, looking excited. His hair was longer than Arabella had ever seen. Larger and larger the two figures grew, until only their heads and shoulders filled the portrait. Then the whole thing swung forward on the wall like a little door, and the entrance to the real tunnel was revealed. And out of it, Neville Longbottom, who gave a roar of delight, leapt down from the mantelpiece and yelled, 'I knew you'd come! _I knew it, Harry_!'

**Thank you for reading! WOW! We're really getting close to the end. Anybody else feeling anxious for the end of this book? **


	26. Dumbledore's Army

**disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, just Arabella. Hope you like it! **

Dumbledore's Army

'Neville – what the – how –?'

But Neville had spotted Arabella, Ron and Hermione, and with yells of delight was hugging them too. 'I knew you'd come! Kept telling Seamus it was a matter of time!'

'Neville, what's happened to you?' asked Harry.

Arabella stared at him. One of his eyes was swollen yellow and purple, and there were gouge marks on his face.

'What?' This?' Neville dismissed his injuries with a shake of the head. 'This is nothing. Seamus is worse. You'll see. Shall we get going then? Oh,' he turned to Aberforth, 'Ab, there might be a couple more people on the way.'

'Couple more?' repeated Aberforth ominously. 'What d'you mean, a couple more, Longbottom? There's a curfew and a Caterwauling Charm on the whole village!'

'I know, that's why they'll be Apparating directly into the bar,' said Neville. 'Just send them down the passage when they get here will you? Thanks a lot.'

Neville held out his hand to Hermione and helped her to climb up onto the mantelpiece and into the tunnel, and did the same to Arabella. Ron followed then Neville and finally Harry.

There were smooth stone steps on the other side. They set off.

'How long's this been here?' Ron asked. 'It isn't on the Marauder's Map, is it, Harry? I thought there were only seven passages in and out of the school?'

'They sealed off all of those before the start of the year,' said Neville. 'There's no chance of getting through any of them now, not with curses over the entrances and Death Eaters and Dementors waiting at the exits.' He started walking backward, beaming, drinking them in. 'Never mind that stuff… Is it true? Did you break into Gringotts? Did you escape on a dragon? It's everywhere, everyone's talking about it, Terry Boot got beaten up by Carrow for yelling about it in the Great Hall at dinner!'

'Yeah, it's true,' said Harry.

Neville laughed gleefully.

'What did you do with the dragon?'

'Released it into the wild,' said Ron. 'Hermione was all for keeping it as a pet –'

'Don't exaggerate, Ron –'

'But what have you been doing? People have been saying you've just been on the run, Harry, but I don't think so. I think you've been up to something.'

'You're right,' said Harry, 'but tell us about Hogwarts, Neville, we haven't heard anything.'

'It's been… well, it's not like Hogwarts anymore,' said Neville, the smile fading from his face as he spoke. 'Do you know about the Carrows?'

'Those two Death Eaters who teach here?' asked Arabella.

'They do more than teach,' said Neville. 'They're in charge of all discipline. They like punishment, the Carrows.'

'Like Umbridge?'

'Nah, they make her look tame. The other teachers are all supposed to refer us to the Carrows if we do anything wrong. They don't, though, if they can avoid it. You can tell they all hate them as much as we do. Amycus, the bloke, he teaches what used to be Defense Against the Dark Arts, except now it's just the Dark Arts. We're supposed to practice the Cruciatus Curse on people who've earned detentions –'

_'What_?'

Arabella, Harry, Ron and Hermione's united voices echoed up and down the passage.

'Yeah,' said Neville. 'That's how I got this one,' he pointed at a particularly deep gash in his cheek, 'I refused to do it. Some people are into it, though. Crabbe and Goyle love it. First time they've ever been top in anything, I expect. Alecto, Amycus's sister, teaches Muggle Studies, which is compulsory for everyone. We've all got to listen to her explain how Muggles are like animals, stupid and dirty, and how they drove wizards into hiding by being vicious toward them, and how the natural order is being re-established. I got this one,' he indicated another slash to his face, 'for asking her how much Muggle blood she and her brother have got.'

'Blimey, Neville,' said Ron, 'there's a time and a place for getting a smart mouth.'

'You didn't hear her,' said Neville. 'You wouldn't have stood it either. The thing is, it helps when people stand up to them, it gives everyone hope. I used to notice that when you did it, Harry.'

'But they've used you as a knife sharpener,' said Ron.

Neville shrugged.

'Doesn't matter. They don't want to spill too much pure blood, so they'll torture us a bit if we're mouthy but they won't actually kill us. They only people in real danger are the ones whose friends and relatives on the outside are giving trouble. They get taken hostage. Old Xeno Lovegood was getting a bit too outspoken in The Quibbler, so they dragged Luna off the train on the way back for Christmas.'

'Neville, she's all right, we've seen her –'

'Yeah, I know, she managed to get a message to me.'

From his pocket he pulled a golden coin, and Arabella recognized it as one of the fake Galleons that Dumbledore's Army had used to send one another messages.

'These have been great,' said Neville, beaming. 'The Carrows never rumbled how we were communicating, it drove them mad. We used to sneak out at night and put graffiti on the walls: _Dumbledore's Army, Still Recruiting_, stuff like that. Snape hated it.'

'You _used to_?' said Harry.

'Well, it got more difficult as time went on,' said Neville. 'We lost Luna at Christmas, and Ginny never came back after Easter, and the three of us were sot of the leaders. The Carrows seemed to know I was behind a lot of it, so they started coming down on me hard, and then Michael Corner went and got caught releasing a first-year they'd chained up, and they tortured him pretty badly. That scared people off.'

'No kidding,' muttered Ron, as the passage began to slope upward.

'Yeah, well, I couldn't ask people to go through what Michael did, so we dropped those kinds of stunts. But we were still fighting, doing underground stuff, right up until a couple weeks ago. That's when they decided there was only one way to stop me, I suppose, and they went for Gran.'

'They _what_?' The four of them said together.

'Yeah,' said Neville, panting a little now, because the passage was climbing so steeply, 'well, you can see their thinking. It had worked really well, kidnapping kids to force their relatives to behave, I s'pose it was only a matter of time before they did it the other way around. Thing was,' he faced them and was grinning, 'they bit off a bit more than they could chew with Gran. Little old witch living alone, they probably thought they didn't need to send anyone particularly powerful. Anyway,' Neville laughed, 'Dawlish is still in St. Mungo's and Gran's on the run. She sent me a letter,' he clapped a hand to the breast pocket of his robes, 'telling me she was proud of me, that I'm my parents' son, and to keep it up.'

'Cool,' said Ron.

'Yeah,' said Neville happily. 'One thing was, once they realized they had no hold over me, they decided Hogwarts could do without me after all. I don't who whether they were planning to kill me or send me to Azkaban. Either way, I knew it was time to disappear.'

'But,' said Ron, looking thoroughly confused, 'aren't – aren't we heading straight back into Hogwarts?'

''Course,' said Neville. 'You'll see. We're here.'

They turned a corner and there ahead of them was the end of the passage. Another short flight of steps led to a door just like the one hidden behind Ariana's portrait. Neville pushed it open and climbed though.

'Look who it is! Didn't I tell you?'

There were several yells and screams as they emerged into the room. 'HARRY!' 'It's Potter, It's POTTER!' 'Ron!' 'Hermione!' 'Arabella!'

The next moment, the four of them were engulfed, hugged, pounded on the back, their hair ruffled, their hands shaken, by what seemed to be more than twenty people.

'Okay, okay, calm down!' Neville called, and as the crowd backed away, Arabella was able to take in their surroundings.

The room was enormous. There were multi-coloured hammocks that were strung from the ceiling and from a balcony that ran around the walls, which were covered in bright tapestry hangings: gold Gryffindor lion emblazoned on scarlet, black badger of Hufflepuff set against yellow, and the bronze eagle of Ravenclaw on blue. The silver and green of Slytherin was absent. There were bulging bookcases, a few broomsticks propped against the walls, and in the corner, a large wooden-cased wireless,

'Neville, are we in the Room of Requirements?' asked Arabella, staring around the room.

'Surpasses itself, hasn't it?' said Neville. 'The Carrows were chasing me, and I knew I had just once chance for a hideout. I managed to get through the door and this is what I found! Well, is wasn't exactly like this when I arrived, it was a load smaller, there was only one hammock and just Gryffindor hanging. But it's expanded as more and more of the DA have arrived.'

'And the Carrows can't get in?'

'No,' said Seamus Finnigan. His face was bruised and puffy. 'It's a proper hideout, as long as one of us stays in here, they can't get at us, the door won't open. It's all down to Neville. He really _gets _this room. You've got to ask it for _exactly _what you need – like, 'I don't want any Carrow supporters to be able to get in' – and it'll do it for you! You've just got to make sure you close the loopholes! Neville's the man!'

'It's quite straightforward, really,' said Neville modestly. 'I'd been in here about a day and a half, and getting really hungry, and wishing I could get something to ear, and that's when the passage to the Hog's Head opened up. I went through it and met Aberforth. He's been providing us with food, because for some reason, that's the one thing the room doesn't really do.'

'Yeah, well, food's one of the five exceptions to Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration,' said Ron to general astonishment.

'So we've been hiding out here for nearly two weeks,' said Seamus, 'and it just makes more hammocks every time we need them, and it even sprouted a pretty good bathroom once girls started turning up –'

' –and thought they'd quite like to wash, yes,' supplied Lavender Brown.

'Tell us what you've been up to, though,' said Ernie Macmillan. 'There've been so many rumors, we've been trying to keep up with you on Potterwatch.' He pointed to the wireless. 'You didn't break into Gringotts?'

'They did!' said Neville. 'And the dragon's true too!'

There was a smattering of applause and a few whoops. Ron took a bow.

'What were you after?' asked Seamus eagerly.

But before anybody could answer, Harry swayed on the spot and Ron was holding him up, supporting him. Sweat was pouring from his face as everyone stared at him.

'Are you all right, Harry?' Neville was saying. 'Want to sit down? I expect you're tired, aren't –?'

'No,' said Harry and he looked at Arabella, Ron and Hermione. 'We need to get going.'

'What are we going to do, then, Harry?' asked Seamus. 'What's the plan?'

'Plan?' repeated Harry. 'Well, there's something we – Ron, Arabella, Hermione and I – need to do, and then we'll get out of here.'

Nobody was laughing or whooping anymore. Neville looked confused.

'What d'you mean, 'get out of here'?'

'We haven't come back to stay,' said Harry, rubbing his scar. 'There's something important we need to do –'

'What is it?'

'I – I can't tell you.'

There was a ripple of muttering at this.

'Why can't you tell us?' said Neville. 'It's something to do with fighting You-Know-Who, right?'

'Well, yeah –'

'Then we'll help you.'

The other members of Dumbledore's Army were nodding, some enthusiastically, others solemnly. A couple of them rose from their chairs to demonstrate their willingness for immediate action.

'You don't understand,' said Harry. 'We – we can't tell you. We've got to do it – alone.'

'Why?' asked Neville.

'Because… Dumbledore left the four of us a job,' Harry said carefully, 'and we weren't supposed to tell – I mean, he wanted us to do it, just the four of us.'

'We're his army,' said Neville. 'Dumbledore's Army. We were all in it together, we've been keeping it going while you four have been off on your own –'

'It's not as though we've been having a picnic,' said Arabella.

'I never said you have, but I don't see why you can't trust us. Everyone in this room's been fighting and they've been driven in here because the Carrows were hunting them down. Everyone in here's proven they're loyal to Dumbledore – loyal to you.'

'Look,' Harry began, but the tunnel door had just opened behind them.

'We got your message, Neville! Hello you four, I thought you must be here!'

It was Luna and Dean. Seamus gave a great roar of delight and ran to hug his best friend.

'Hi, everyone!' said Luna happily. 'Oh, it's great to be back!'

'Luna,' said Harry, 'what are you doing here? How did you –?'

'I sent for her,' said Neville, holding up the fake Galleon. 'I promised her and Ginny that if you turned up I'd let them know. We all thought that if you came back, it would mean revolution. That we were going to overthrow Snape and the Carrows.'

'Of course that's what it means,' said Luna brightly. 'Isn't it, Harry? We're going to fight them out of Hogwarts?'

'Listen,' said Harry, 'I'm sorry, but that's not what we came back for. There's something we've got to do, and then –'

'You're going to leave us in this mess?' demanded Michael Corner.

'No!' said Ron. 'What we're doing will benefit everyone in the end, it's all about trying to get rid of You-Know-Who –'

'Then let us help!' said Neville angrily. 'We want to be a part of it!'

There was another noise behind then, and Ginny was now climbing through the hole in the wall, closely followed by Fred, George, Lee Jordan and Cho Chang. Ginny gave Neville a radiant smile, which was returned.

'Aberforth's getting a bit annoyed,' said Fred, raising his hand in answer to several cries of greeting. 'He wants a kip, and his bar's turned into a railway station.'

'So what's the plan, Harry?' said George.

'There isn't one,' said Harry.

'Just going to make it up as we go along, are we? My favourite kind,' said Fred.

'You've got to stop this!' Harry told Neville. 'What did you call them all back for? This is insane –'

'We're fighting, aren't we?' said Dean, taking out his fake Galleon. 'The message said Harry was back, and we were going to fight! I'll have to get a wand, though –'

'You haven't got a _wand_ –?' began Seamus.

Ron turned suddenly to Harry.

'Why can't they help?'

'What?'

'They can help.' He dropped his voice and said, so that nobody else besides Arabella and Hermione could hear, 'We don't know where it is. We've got to find it fast. We don't have to tell them it's a Horcrux.'

'I think Ron's right,' murmured Hermione. 'We don't even know what we're looking for, we need them.'

Harry looked unconvinced.

'You don't have to do everything alone, Harry,' said Arabella.

'All right,' said Harry quietly after a while. 'Okay,' he called to the room at large, and all noise ceased. They all looked alert and excited.

'There's something we need to find,' Harry said. 'Something – something that'll help us overthrow You-Know-Who. It's here at Hogwarts, but we don't know where. It might have belonged to Ravenclaw. Has anyone heard of an object like that? Has anyone ever come across something with her eagle on it, for instance?'

'Well,' began Luna, 'there's her lost diadem. I told you about it, remember, Harry? The lost diadem of Ravenclaw? Daddy's trying to duplicate it.'

'Yeah, but the lost diadem,' said Michael Corner, rolling his eyes, 'is _lost_, Luna. That's sort of the point.'

'When was it lost?' asked Harry.

'Centuries ago, they say,' said Cho. 'Professor Flitwick says the diadem vanished with Ravenclaw herself. People have looked, but nobody's ever found a trace of it, have they?'

'Sorry, but what _is_ a diadem?' asked Ron.

'It's a kind of crown,' said Terry Boot. 'Ravenclaw was supposed to have magical properties, enhance the wisdom of the wearer.'

'Yes, Daddy's Wrackspurt siphons –'

'And none of you have ever seen anything that looks like it?' asked Harry.

They shook their heads. Arabella, Hermione, Ron and Harry looked at each other, disappointment evident in their faces.

'If you'd like to see what the diadem's supposed to look like,' said Luna, 'I could take you up to our common room and show you, Harry? Ravenclaw's wearing it in her statue.'

Harry stared at her for a moment, his eyes unfocused before he said quietly to Arabella, Hermione and Ron, 'He's on the move.' He then glanced and Luna and continued, 'Listen, I know it's not much of a lead, but I'm going to go and look at this statue, at least find out what the diadem looks like. Wait for me here and keep, you know – the other one – safe.'

They nodded their heads.

'How do we get out?' Harry asked Neville.

'Over here.'

Harry glanced back at Arabella, Hermione, and Ron before he and Luna followed Neville to a corner.

**Thank you for reading! **


	27. The Battle of Hogwarts

**disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, just Arabella. **

The Battle of Hogwarts

Arabella watched Harry leave the room with Luna and Neville. Looking around the room, watching them leave, something became so clear that she just froze: there was a battle coming.

There was an angel and devil battling on her shoulders. _Get out of here right now. Stay with your friends. Do you want to die_? _Do you want to live_? But there was a difference between being dragged into a battlefield and walking in with your head held high in the air. Other people may say that there was no difference between them – _who would walk into a battleground willingly, knowing that they were going to die_? – but the choice between them was all the difference in the world. _I know that_ thought Arabella, and with a rush of pride, _and so did my parents. And in the end, we're all just soldiers fighting for the same thing. _

There were goosebumps all over her. She was excited, she was nervous, she was bloodthirsty and she wanted to go home. _Where was home_? Grimmauld Place? No. Home was with Remus Lupin and she never should have left. She should have stayed with him, with Nymph, with Andromeda, spent as much time as she could with Ted, and been there for the birth of Teddy Lupin.

_I might never see him_ Arabella thought sadly. She hoped to at least see him; any form would have been fine with her. If she was going to die today, she would have been a little bit happier to see how her godchild looked. _Godmother _Arabella scoffed internally.

'Arabella,' said Hermione turning her around so that nobody else could hear the three of them. 'We need something to kill the Horcrux with.'

'Okay,' said Arabella uncertainly. Where was she going with this?

'And what did Harry use in our second year?' asked Ron, sounding excited.

'A basilisk's fang,' said Arabella, 'but what – oh! OH!'

'Exactly!' said Hermione. 'And it was Ron's idea – completely brilliant and –'

'Go!' said Arabella. 'Quickly. Get some of the snake's fang. You remember how to get there, right? Make some hissing noise when you get there as well. Okay? Good luck.'

Arabella and Hermione and Ron looked at each other. They all knew what was coming and the way they were all looking at each other as though soaking each other in. At least for Arabella it was the case. Arabella and Hermione looked at each other for a moment, smiling.

'Stay safe,' said Arabella, taking a deep breath. 'Don't do anything stupid until I get there.'

Hermione chuckled while Ron clapped her shoulder. After a few more seconds, Ron and Hermione turned away and walked out of the Room of Requirements.

'Where they off to?' asked Ginny as Arabella went back to the group.

'Bathroom,' said Arabella, taking another deep breath. 'They needed to take a piss.'

Then the door they all came through, the one connecting to Aberforth Dumbledore's pub, opened. People started to clamber out of the tunnel. First was Oliver Wood, then Katie Bell, Angelina Johnson, Alicia Spinner and more people that Arabella vaguely recognized, but couldn't remember the names to.

'We're here,' said Oliver Wood breathlessly. 'Did we miss anything?'

'Did it start yet?' asked Alicia Spinner, brushing the dust off her pants. 'Is You-Know-Who dead?'

'I think we would know if he was dead, Alicia,' said Angelina Johnson, stretching her arms, as though getting ready for a Quidditch match.

'What are you all –?' began Arabella.

Then the door to the tunnel opened again and Bill, Fleur, Mr and Mrs Weasley, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Remus Lupin and other members of the Order of the Phoenix came out.

'We go the message,' said Kingsley, taking out his wand. 'Any news so far?'

'Noth – nothing yet,' said Arabella. 'How – how are you all – why –' She looked at Remus. He smiled at her. She lost her voice as everyone started talking around her. Within a second, Remus was at her side, touching her shoulder in worry. 'You shouldn't be here,' she said in a low voice. 'You should never have come.'

'Everything's going to be fine,' said Remus gently.

'Go – go home, Moony,' continued Arabella, her voice shaking. 'Go home. If – if not for me, please, do it for Nymph and Teddy. Go home, please and don't get hurt –'

'Wha –' came a voice behind them.

Harry and Luna came back into the room and Harry looked around, slightly shocked.

'Harry, what's happening?' said Remus, meeting him at the foot of the stairs.

'Voldemort's on his way, they're barricading the school – Snape's run for it – What are you doing here? How did you know?'

'We sent messages to the rest of Dumbledore's Army,' Fred explained. 'You couldn't expect everyone to miss the fun, Harry, and the DA let the Order of the Phoenix know, and it all kind of snowballed.'

'What first, Harry?' called George. 'What's going on?'

'They're evacuating the younger kids and everyone's meeting in the Great Hall to get organized,' said Harry. 'We're fighting.'

There was a great roar and a surge toward the foot of the stairs. Members of the Order of the Phoenix, Dumbledore's Army, the old Gryffindor Quidditch team, they all had their wands drawn and they all headed up into the main castle.

The crowd was thinning. Only a small group of people remained in the Room of Requirement. Mrs Weasley was struggling with Ginny. Around them stood Arabella, Remus, Mr Weasley, Fred, George, Bill and Fleur.

'You're underage!' Mrs Weasley shouted at her daughter. 'I won't permit it! The boys, but you, you've got to go home!'

'I won't! I'm in Dumbledore's Army –'

'A teenagers' gang!'

'A teenagers' gang that's about to take him on, which no one else has dared to do!' said Fred.

'She's sixteen!' shouted Mrs Weasley. 'She's not old enough! What you two were thinking, bringing her with you –'

Fred and George looked slightly ashamed of themselves.

'Mum's right, Ginny,' said Bill gently. 'You can't do this. Everyone underage will have to leave, it's only right.'

'I can't go home!' Ginny shouted, angry tears in her eyes. 'My whole family's here, I can't stand waiting there alone and not knowing and –'

Her eyes met her family. She looked at them pleadingly, but none came to her aid and she turned away bitterly.

'Fine,' she said staring at the entrance to the tunnel back to Hog's Head. 'I'll say good-bye now, then, and –'

There was a scuffling and a great thump. Someone else had clambered out of the tunnel, overbalanced slightly, and fallen. He pulled himself up on the nearest chair, looked around through his glasses, and said, 'Am I too late? Has it started? I only just found out, so I – I –'

Percy Weasley spluttered into silence. There was a long moment of astonishment, broken by Fleur turning to Remus and saying, trying to break the tension, 'So – 'ow eez leetle Teddy?'

Remus blinked at her, startled. The silence between the Weasleys seemed to harden as the seconds went by.

'I – oh yes – he's fine!' said Remus loudly. 'Yes, Tonks is with him – at her mother's –'

Percy and the other Weasleys were still staring at one another, frozen.

'Here, I've got a picture!' Remus shouted, pulling a photograph from inside his jacket and showing it to Fleur, Arabella and Harry. Arabella smiled at the image of a tiny baby with a turf of bright turquoise hair, waving fat fists at the camera.

'I was a fool!' Percy roared, so loudly that Remus nearly dropped his photograph. 'I was an idiot, I was a pompous prat, I was a – a –'

'Ministry-loving, family-disowning, power-hungry moron,' said Fred.

Percy swallowed. 'Yes, I was!'

'Well, you can't say fairer than that,' said Fred, holding out his hand to Percy.'

Mrs Weasley burst into tears. She ran forward, pushed Fred aside, and pulled Percy into a strangling hug, while he patted her on the back, his eyes on his father.

'I'm sorry, Dad,' Percy said.

Mr Weasley blinked rather rapidly, then he too hurried to hug his son.

'What made you see sense, Perce?' inquired George.

'It's been coming on for a while,' said Percy, mopping his eyes under his glasses with a corner of his traveling cloak. 'But I had to find a way out and it's not so easy at the Ministry, they're imprisoning traitors all the time. I managed to make contact with Aberforth and he tipped me off ten minutes ago that Hogwarts was going to make a fight of it, so here I am.'

'Well, we do look to our prefects to take a lead at times such as these,' said George in a good imitation of Percy. 'Now let's get upstairs and fight or all the good Death Eaters'll be taken.'

'So, you're my sister-in-law now?' said Percy, shaking his hands with Fleur as they hurried off toward the staircase with Bill, Fred, and George.

'Ginny!' barked Mrs Weasley.

Ginny had been attempting to sneak upstairs, under the cover of the reunion.

'Molly, how about this,' said Remus, 'why doesn't Ginny stay here, then at least she'll be on the scene and know what's going on, but she won't be in the middle of the fighting?'

'I –'

'That's a good idea,' said Mr Weasley firmly. 'Ginny, you stay in this room, you hear me?'

Ginny did not seem to like the idea much, but under her father's stern gaze, she nodded. Mr and Mrs Weasley and Remus headed off for the stairs as well.

'Where's Ron?' Harry asked Arabella. 'Where's Hermione?'

'They went to the washroom,' said Arabella sheepishly, looking at where Remus left. 'To the Chamber. I'll explain it later. I have to go. We have to go.'

Arabella left the Room of Requirements. Worried, anxious. She needed to make sure that whatever family she had left would make it out of this battle in one piece. Harry was right behind her. He jogged to catch up with her. They said nothing as they entered the Great Hall.

All those months running, she thought that the next time she would see this place, the place where she shared countless meals with her friends; she thought she would be happy.

Every eye, living and dead, was fixed upon Professor McGonagall, who was speaking from the raised platform at the top of the Hall. Behind her stood the remaining teachers and the members of the Order of the Phoenix who had arrived to fight.

'… evacuation will be overseen by Mr Filch and Madam Pomfrey, when I give the word, you will organize your House and take your charges, in an orderly fashion, to the evacuation point.'

Many of the students looked petrified. Arabella skirted the walls with Harry, trying to find Ron and Hermione or the Weasleys, when Ernie Macmillian stood up at the Hufflepuff table and shouted, 'And what if we want to stay and fight?'

There was some applause.

'If you are of age, you may stay,' said Professor McGonagall.

'What about our things?' called a girl at the Ravenclaw table. 'Our trunks, our owls?'

'We have no time to collect possessions,' said Professor McGonagall. 'The important thing is to get you out of here safely.'

'Where's Professor Snape?' shouted a girl from the Slytherin table.

'He has, to use the common phrase, done a bunk,' replied Professor McGonagall, and a great cheer erupted from the Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs, and Ravenclaws.

'We have placed protection around the castle but it is unlikely to hold for very long unless we reinforce it. I must as you, therefore, to move quickly and calmly, and do as your prefects –'

But her final words were drowned as a different voice echoed throughout the Hall. It was high, cold and clear. There was no telling who it came from, but it seemed to be coming from the walls.

'I know that you are preparing to fight.' There were screams amongst the students, some of whom clutched each other, looking around in terror for the source of the sound. 'Your efforts are futile. You cannot fight me. I do not want to kill you. I have great respect for the teachers of Hogwarts. I do not want to spill magical blood.'

There was silence in the Hall now. The silence pressed against Arabella's body and made the air rush out of her lungs.

'Give me Harry Potter,' said Voldemort's voice, 'and none shall be harmed. Give me Harry Potter, and I shall leave the school untouched. Give me Harry Potter, and you shall be rewarded.

'You have until midnight.'

The silence swallowed them all again. Every head turned, every eye in the place seemed to have found Harry. Arabella, watching them, reached out, searched for his hand when Pansy Parkinson rose from the Slytherin table, raised a shaking arm and screamed: 'But he's there! Potter's _there_! Someone grab him!'

Arabella grabbed Harry's arm and pulled him closer, trying to shield him away from the lot when there was a massive movement. The Gryffindors in front of them had risen and stood facing, not Harry, but the Slytherins. Then the Hufflepuffs stood, and almost at the same time, the Ravenclaws, all of them with their backs to Harry, all of them looked toward Pansy instead, and their wands emerged from beneath cloaks and from under sleeves.

'Thank you, Miss Parkinson,' said Professor McGonagall in a clipped voice. 'You will leave the Hall first with Mr Filch. If the rest of your House could follow.'

There was the sound of grinding benches and then the sound of Slytherin trooping out on the other side of the Hall.

'Ravenclaws, follow on!' cried Professor McGonagall.

Slowly the four tables emptied. The Slytherin table was completely deserted, but a number of older Ravenclaws remained seated while their fellows filed out. Even more Hufflepuffs stayed behind, and half of Gryffindor remained in their seats, necessitating Professor McGonagall's descent from the teachers' platform to chivvy the underage on their way.

'Absolutely not, Creevey, go! _And_ you, Peakes!'

Arabella and Harry hurried over to the Weasleys, all sitting together at the Gryffindor table. Kingsley had now stepped forward on the raised platform to address those who had remained behind.

'We've only got half an hour until midnight, so we need to act fast! A battle plan has been agreed between the teachers of Hogwarts and the Order of the Phoenix. Professors Flitwick, Sprout, and McGonagall are going to take groups of fighters up to the three highest towers – Ravenclaw, Astronomy, and Gryffindor – where they'll have a good overview, excellent positions from which to work spells. Meanwhile Remus, Arthur, and I will take groups into the grounds. We'll need somebody to organize defense of the entrances of the passageways into the school –'

'Sounds like a job for us,' called Fred, indicating himself and George, and Kingsley nodded his approval.

'All right, leaders up here and we'll divide up the troops!'

'Potter,' said Professor McGonagall, hurrying up to him, as students flooded the platform, jostling for position, receiving instructions, '_Aren't you supposed to be looking for something_?'

'What? Oh,' said Harry, 'oh yeah!'

'Then go, Potter, go!'

'Right – yeah –'

Harry ran out of the Great Hall again and into the entrance hall.

Arabella was left standing there, wondering what to do. She looked back at Remus, watching him talk to Mr Weasley and Kingsley. She took a long look at him before quickly running out of the Great Hall and down the corridor.

She ran pass portrait after portrait, trying to ignore the screaming news from one canvas to the other. She wished she had her broom. The one Nymphadora, Andromeda and Ted bought for her for Christmas. _She should have gone home for Christmas more_. Arabella kept running, bumping into student, running into walls, until she finally got to where she needed to be, only to find them outside the girls' bathroom.

'How was it?' panted Arabella, jogging to a halt.

Both of their arms were full of large, curved, dirty yellow objects and Arabella took that as success.

'Brilliant,' said Hermione breathlessly. 'Ron was brilliant!'

Ron smiled. 'It's been known to happen. Hermione destroyed the Horcrux. She stabbed it.'

Arabella looked between the two of them before nodding. 'We have to go. We're fighting now.'

As the words flew out of Arabella's mouth, the whole castle shook. Arabella and Hermione shrieked as they felt the ground shake and then dived for the nearest wall, trying to stead themselves.

'What the bloody hell was that?' said Ron, looking around the corridor.

'The enchantments around the school,' said Hermione. 'They're trying to get through the protection. I don't know if they've gone through or not –'

'We have to move,' said Arabella. 'Horcruxes – we have to destroy them. Now.'

And they set off on the corridor, running back to the Room of Requirements. They didn't know where Harry was, but this was their best chance. As they reached the end of the corridor, they found themselves looking at Professor Sprout, who was thundering past them, followed by Neville and a half a dozen others, all of them wearing earmuffs and carrying large potted plants.

'Mandrakes!' exclaimed Hermione.

'Mandrakes!' bellowed Neville to Arabella, Hermione and Ron. He apparently didn't hear Hermione. 'Going to lob them over the walls – they won't like this!'

Barely a second after the last student following Professor Sprout disappeared out of their sight; they ran once again, keeping an eye out for Harry. Arabella had her wand ready as Ron and Hermione held onto the bundles of fangs.

Portraits they ran past were screaming in encouragement.

'See them to their deaths!' shouted a knight, raising his sword in the air.

'Run them from these grounds!' bellowed a woman with a baby in her arms.

'Do your duty for this school!' said a witch, wiggling her finger at them.

They hurtled around a corner and found Fred and a small knot of student, including Lee Jordan and Hannah Abbott, standing beside an empty platform. Their wands were drawn and they were listening at the concealed hole.

And they by the final corner and with a yell of relief, they saw him.

'Where the _hell_ have you been?' Harry shouted.

'Chamber of Secrets,' said Ron.

'It was Ron, all Ron's idea!' said Hermione. 'Wasn't it absolutely brilliant? There we were, after you left, and I said to Ron, how are we going to get rid of it? We still hadn't got rid of the cup! And then he thought of it! The basilisk!'

'Something to get rid of the Horcruxes,' said Ron simply.

'But how did you get in there?' Harry asked, staring from the fangs to Ron. 'You need to speak Parseltongue!'

'He did!' whispered Hermione. 'Show him, Ron!'

Ron made a horrible strangled hissing noise.

'It's what you did to open the locket,' he told Harry apologetically. 'I had to have a few goes to get it right, but,' he shrugged modestly, 'we got there in the end.'

'He was _amazing_,' said Hermione. 'Amazing!'

'Yes, yes, amazing, we know,' said Arabella. 'And you destroyed it but –'

There was an explosion from overhead. All four of them looked up as dust fell from the ceiling and they heard a distant scream.

'I know what the diadem looks like, and I know where it is,' said Harry, talking fast. 'He hid it exactly where you hid my old Potions book, where everyone's been hiding stuff for centuries. He thought he was the only one to find it. Come on.'

As the walls trembled again, Harry led them through the entrance and into the Room of Requirement. It was empty except for three women: Ginny, Nymph, and Neville's grandmother.

'Ah, Potter,' she said crisply. 'You can tell us what's going on.'

'Is everyone okay?' said Ginny and Nymph together.

''S far as we know,' said Harry. 'Are there still people in the passage to the Hog's Head?'

'I was the last to come through,' said Mrs Longbottom. 'I sealed it, I think it unwise to leave it open now Aberforth has left his pub. Have you seen my grandson?'

'He's fighting,' said Harry.

'Naturally,' said Mrs Longbottom proudly. 'Excuse me, I must go and assist him.'

With surprising speed she trotted off toward the stone steps.

Arabella looked at Nymph.

'You're supposed to be at Andy's with Teddy.'

'I couldn't stand not knowing – She'll look after him – have you seen Remus?'

Harry said, 'He was planning to lead a group of fighters into the grounds –'

Without another word, Nymph walked out.

'Nymphadora,' exclaimed Arabella, following her to the stairs of the Room. Nymph looked back at her. 'You're not supposed to be here.'

Nymph's eyebrow rose. 'I could say the same.'

'You have to go back to Teddy,' said Arabella, trying to stand her ground. 'Go back… please, go back.'

They looked at each other. Just stood there for a minute (could have been five minutes, an hour, a day) and looked at each other.

'Please,' whispered Arabella, blinking rapidly. 'Just… please… please, don't do this… Go home so that I know you're safe…'

'If this was the other way around –' whispered Nymphadora.

'But I don't have a baby boy at home waiting for me,' said Arabella, her voice cracking. 'I don't have something to live for. Nymphadora, please…'

Nymph placed both her hands on Arabella's cheeks and kissed her forehead. 'Take care,' Nymph whispered before walking away.

Arabella composed herself to see Ginny walking away, following Nymph and she went back into where the others were.

'We don't want any more Dobbies, do we?' said Ron seriously. 'We can't order them to die for us –'

There was a clatter as the basilisk fangs cascaded out of Hermione's arms. Running at Ron, she flung them around his neck and kissed him full on the mouth. Ron threw away his fangs and responded with such enthusiasm that he lifted Hermione off her feet.

'What's going on?' Arabella said feebly. She looked at Harry and he whispered, 'We remembered the house-elves in the kitchen and Ron suggested that we free them and not to let them fight but to make sure that it doesn't happen again like Dobby and then – well –'

He waved his hands toward Ron and Hermione, who were now gripping each other more firmly and they now swayed on the spot.

'Oi!' Harry raised his voice. 'There's a war going on here!'

Ron and Hermione broke apart, their arms still around each other.

'I know, mate,' said Ron, 'so it's now or never, isn't it?'

Arabella and Harry looked at each other for a moment before Harry snapped out of it. 'Never mind that, what about the Horcrux?' he shouted. 'D'you think you could just – just hold it in until we've got the diadem?'

'Yeah – right – sorry –' said Ron, and he and Hermione set about gathering up fangs, both pink in the face.

It was clear that in the minutes that they had spent in the Room of Requirement the situation within the castle had worsened severely. The walls and ceiling were shaking wore than ever. Dust filled the air. Looking out the closest window, there were several bursts of green and red light. Death Eaters were very near entering the place. Grawp the giant was twisting past, swinging what looking like a giant stone gargoyle torn from the roof and roaring his displeasure.

'Let's hope he steps on some of them!' said Ron as more screams echoed from close by.

''As long as it's not any of our lot!' said a voice. Arabella turned to see Nymph and Ginny, both with their wands drawn at the next window, which was missing several panes. Ginny then sent a well-aimed jinx into a crowd of fighters below.

'Good girl!' roared a figure running through the dust toward them. 'They look like they might be breaching the north battlements, they've brought giants of their own!'

'Have you seen Remus?' Tonks called after him.

'He was dueling Dolohov,' shouted Aberforth, 'haven't seen him since!'

'Nymph,' said Arabella. 'Please, don't –'

But her voice died out as Nymph ran off into the dust after Aberforth.

Arabella watched as her cousin ran off into the dust. My family ran off and there were nothing she could do about it.

'They'll be all right,' said Harry.

'Empty word,' said Arabella, turning to him in a monotone voice.

'Ginny, we'll be back in a moment, just keep out of the way, keep safe – come on!'

They ran back to the stretch of wall beyond which the Room of Requirement was waiting to do the bidding of the next entrant.

The furor of the battle died the moment they crossed the threshold and closed the door behind them. All was silent. They were in a place the size of a cathedral with towers of objects build everywhere.

'Accio Diadem!' cried Hermione in desperation, but nothing flew through the air toward them.

'Let's split up,' said Harry. 'Look for a stone bust of an old man wearing a wig and a tiara! It's definitely in here…'

They sped off in different aisles. Deeper and deeper Arabella went into this place. It was quiet except for the footsteps caused by her and the others. She rummaged through the cabinets all the while her thoughts went to Remus, to Nymph, to the little turquoise haired baby that doesn't even knew where his parents are. _I need to get them back to the baby _Arabella vowed to herself. _I have to get them back together. I have to…_

As Arabella searched through the drawers and cabinets frantically, banged and kicking, punching when she failed, all that was replaying in her head was: _I have to get them back together… I have to get them back together…_

Then there was a scream. _Hermione. _

There was a crash to the floor and Arabella ran towards the source. Her heart thumping against her ear when she heard: 'Crucio!'

The curse hit a stone bust and flew into the air. Arabella ducked sideways as someone crashed into her.

'STOP!' somebody else shouted. Sounded like Malfoy to her. The voice echoed through the room. 'The Dark Lord wants him alive –'

'So? I'm not killing him, am I?' yelled somebody else.

'That's Crabbe,' whispered Harry, moving her away.

'But if I can, I will, the Dark Lord wans him dead anyway, what's the diff –?'

A jet of scarlet light shot past them by inches. Hermione had run around the corner behind them and sent a Stunning Spell straight at Crabbe's head. It only missed because Malfoy pulled him out of the way.

'It's that Mudblood! Avada Kedavra!'

Hermione dived aside and Arabella's wand shot out and aimed a Stunning Spell at Crabbe, who lurched out of the way.

'Don't kill him! DON'T KILL HIM!' Malfoy yelled at Crabbe and Goyle, who were both aiming their wands at Arabella.

'Expelliarmus!' shouted Harry.

Goyle's wand flew out of his hand and disappeared into blubber of objects beside him. He leapt foolishly on the spot, trying to retrieve it. Malfoy jumped out of range of Hermione's second Stunning Spell and Ron, appearing at the end of the aisle, shot a full Body-Bind Curse at Crabbe, which narrowly missed.

Crabbe wheeled around and screamed, 'Avada Kedavra!' again. Ron leapt out of sight to avoid the jet of green light. Malfoy, wandless, cowered behind a three-legged wardrobe as Hermione charged toward them, hitting Goyle with a Stunning Spell as she came.

'It's somewhere here!' Harry yelled, pointing at the pile of junk. 'Look for it while I go and help R –'

'HARRY!' Hermione screamed.

A roaring, billowing noise behind them gave them a moment's warning. Arabella turned and saw both Ron and Crabbe running as hard as they could up the aisle toward them.

'Like it hot, scum?' roared Crabbe as he ran.

But he seemed to have no control over what he had done. Flames of abnormal size were pursuing them, licking up the sides of the junk which were crumbling at their touch.

'Aguamenti!' Harry brawled, but the jet of water that soared from the tip of his wand evaporated in the air. 'RUN!'

Malfoy grabbed the Stunned Goyle and dragged him along. Crabbe outstripped all of them, looking terrified. Arabella, Harry, Ron and Hermione pelted along in his wake and the fire pursued them. It wasn't a normal fire. As they turned a corner the flames chased them as though they were alive, intent on killing them. Now the fir was transforming, forming a gigantic pack of fiery beasts. Serpents, chimaeras and dragons rose and feel and rose in flames over and over again.

Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle had vanished from view. Arabella, Harry, Ron and Hermione stopped dead. The fiery monsters were circling them, drawing closer and closer and the heat was a solid wall around them.

'What can we do?' Hermione screamed over the deafening roars of the fire. 'What can we do?'

'Here!'

Harry seized a pair of heavy-looking broomsticks from the nearest pile of junk and threw one to Ron, who pulled Hermione into it behind him, and one to Arabella. She swung her leg over and kicked off the ground, soaring in the air and missing the flaming raptor that snapped their jaws at them. The smoke and heat was overwhelming. The fire was consuming the contraband of generations of students. Arabella could not find a trace of Malfoy, Crabbe or Goyle anywhere.

'Harry, let's get out, let's get out!' bellowed Ron as Harry swopped down as low as he could.

Then there was a small scream from somewhere in the commotion.

'It's – too – dangerous – !' Ron yelled, but Harry wheeled in the air.

Arabella followed Harry and saw Malfoy with his arms around the unconscious Goyle, the pair of them on a fragile tower of charred desks and Harry dived. Malfoy saw him coming and raised one arm and it was no point.

'IF WE DIED FOR THEM, I'LL KILL YOU, HARRY!' roared Ron's voice.

Arabella swooped down and dragged Goyle into her broom and rose in the air. She followed Ron and Hermione through the black smoke. There was screaming and Arabella narrowed her eyes and tried to keep Goyle on the broomstick. Then, she saw a rectangular patch on the wall and steered the broom at it. Within a moment, the air in her lungs was clean and she collided with the wall in the corridor beyond.

Goyle fell off the broom, still unconscious, and Arabella laid there for a while before Hermione and Ron pulled her up into a sitting position.

'I'm – I'm go – going to kill – kill, Harry,' panted Arabella, leaning against Hermione.

A second later, Harry and Malfoy emerged, falling onto the ground. Malfoy fell off the broom and lay face down, gasping, coughing and retching. Harry rolled over and sat up. The door to the Room of Requirement had vanished.

'C – Crabbe,' choked Malfoy as soon as he could speak. 'C – Crabbe …'

'He's dead,' said Ron harshly.

There was silence, apart from panting and coughing. Then a number of huge bangs shook the castle, and a great parade of transparent figures galloped past on horses. Arabella slowly got to her feet as the Headless Hunt had passed them. She looked around quickly.

The battle was still going on all around them. There was more screaming than the ghosts.

'We should – we should get going,' said Arabella. 'And stick together.'

'I say we go – Harry, what's that on your arm?' asked Hermione.

'What? Oh yeah –'

He pulled the diadem from his wrist and held it up. It was blackened with dirt. A bloodlike substance seemed to be leaking from the diadem. Suddenly it was vibrating in Harry's hand and then it broke apart. There was a distant scream of pain from the fragments in Harry's fingers.

'It must have been Fiendfyre!' whimpered Hermione, her eyes on the broken pieces.

'Sorry?'

'Fiendfyre – cursed fire – it's one of the substances that destroy Horcruxes, but I would never, ever have dared use it, it's so dangerous – how did Crabbe know how to –?'

'Must've learned from the Carrows,' said Harry grimly.

'Shame he wasn't concentrating when they mentioned how to stop it, really,' said Ron. 'If he hadn't tried to kill us all, I'd be quite sorry he was dead.'

'But don't you realize?' whispered Hermione. 'This means, if we can just get the snake –'

But she broke off as yells and shouts and the noise of dueling filled the corridor. Arabella looked around and saw Death Eaters. They penetrated Hogwarts. Fred and Percy had just backed into view, both of them dueling masked and hooded men.

They ran forward to help. Jets of light flew in every direction and the man dueling backed off, fast. Then his hood slipped and they saw a high forehead and a streaked hair.

'Hello, Minister!' bellowed Percy, sending a neat jinx straight at Thicknesse, who dropped his wand and clawed at the front of his robes. 'Did I mention I'm resigning?'

'You're joking, Perce!' shouted Fred as the death Eater he was battling collapsed under the weight of four separate Stunning Spells. Thicknesse had fallen to the ground with tiny spikes erupting all over him. He seemed to be turning into some form of sea creature. Fred looked at Percy with glee.

'You're actually _are_ joking, Perce… I don't think I've heard you joke since you were –'

The air exploded. They had been grouped together, Arabella, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred, and Percy, the two Death Eaters at their feet, one Stunned, the other Transfigured. And in that fragment of a moment, the world was torn apart.

Arabella was flying in the air. There were yelling and screaming and she didn't know what to do –

With pain, Arabella hit something solid and was half buried in the wreckage of a corridor. The side of the castle had been blown away and the side of her head was bleeding a little.

Then she heard a terrible scream. Arabella jumped up at once, swaying and gripping her wand as tightly as she could. Arabella helped Hermione up to her feet and three redheaded grouped men where on the ground where the wall had blasted apart. Arabella, Hermione and Harry supported each other as they stumbled and staggered over stone and wood.

'No – no – no!' someone was shouting. 'No! Fred! No!'

And Percy was shaking his brother, and Ron was kneeling beside them, and Fred's eyes stared without seeing, the ghost of his last laugh still imprinted upon his face.

**Thank you all for reading! So, who do you guys think Arabella should fight in the end? **


	28. The End of the World

**disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, just Arabella. **

The End of the World

The world ended, but why was everyone still fighting? The idea of Fred Weasley being dead was impossible. He couldn't be dead, the idea was – Arabella's brain was lying to her –

And then a body fell past the hole blown into the side of the school, and curses flew in at them from the darkness, hitting the wall behind their backs.

'Get down!' Harry shouted, as more curses flew through the night. Ron grabbed Hermione and Harry grabbed Arabella, pulling them to the ground, but Percy lay across Fred's body, shielding it from further harm, and when Harry shouted, 'Percy, come on, we've got to move!' He shook his head.

'Percy!' Ron seized Percy's shoulders and pulled, but Percy would not budge. 'Percy, you can't do anything for him! We're going to –'

Hermione screamed and Arabella turned. A monstrous spider the size of a small car was trying to climb through the huge hole in the wall.

Harry and Ron shouted together. Their spells collided and the monster was blown backward, it legs jerking horribly, and vanished into the darkness.

'It brought friends!' Harry called to the others.

More giant spiders were climbing the side of the building. Arabella threw Stunning Spell after Stunning Spell alongside Harry, knocking them to the ground so that they rolled back down the building and out of sight. Them more curses came soaring over their head, so close that Arabella flew a blow on her hair.

'Let's move, NOW!' yelled Harry.

Harry pushed her in front of her along with Hermione and Ron. He stopped to seize Fred's body under the armpits with Percy. Together, they managed to avoid the curses flying at them from the grounds as they hauled Fred out of the way. Arabella ran to the end of the end of the corridor.

'Here,' said Arabella, skidding to a halt to the closest tapestry.

But Ron didn't want to, he turned the other way and was about to run.

'Ron!' yelled Arabella and Hermione.

Arabella ran at full speed and jumped on his back, tackling him to the ground. With Hermione's help, they managed to drag him behind the tapestry through his struggles.

'Ger – off!' choked Ron as Hermione practically sat on top his stomach.

As the two of them wrestled Ron, they heard a great big bull like roar: 'ROOKWOOD!'

Arabella looked behind the tapestry and saw Harry and Percy, the later sprinting in the direction of a tall man.

'Harry!' screamed Arabella. 'In here!'

Harry ran towards them and saw Hermione trying to restrain Ron.

'Listen to me – _LISTEN, RON_!'

'I wanna help – I wanna kill Death Eaters –'

He was shaking with rage and grief.

'Ron, we're the only ones who can end it! Please – Ron – we need the snake, we've got to kill the snake!' said Hermione.

Arabella has never seen Ron liked this in her life, and doesn't want to ever see him like this ever again. But she understands how he feels. Destroying a Horcrux will never bring the satisfaction of revenge. She too wanted to fight, to punish the people who took Fred Weasley away from Hogwarts, away from his family, away from the world, and she wanted to make sure that the other Weasleys were safe and that no more harm will come to them – Mr and Mrs Weasley, George, Bill, Ginny, Fleur, Percy –

'We _will _fight!' Hermione said. 'We'll have to, to reach the snake! But let's not lose sight now of what we're supposed to be d-doing! We're the only ones who can end it!'

She was crying too, and she wiped her face on her torn and burned sleeve as she spoke, but she took great heaving breaths to calm herself as she held onto Ron and turned to Harry.

'You need to find out where Voldemort is, because he'll have the snake with him, won't he? Do it, Harry – look inside him!'

Harry looked at her, then at Arabella, who nodded. Harry closed his eyes as they all stayed still, watching him. They studied his facial features and watched. After a couple minutes, and a gasp, Harry opened his eyes, at the same time, there were screeches and cries, and smashes and bangs of the battle.

'He's in the Shrieking Shack. The snake's with him, it's got some sort of magical protection around it. He's just sent Lucius Malfoy to find Snape.'

'Voldemort's sitting in the in the Shrieking Shack!' exclaimed Arabella. 'He's – he's not even fighting!' She then made an angry sound and clutched her fists.

'He doesn't think he needs to fight,' said Harry. 'He thinks I'm going to go to him.'

'But why?'

'He knows I'm after the Horcruxes – he's keeping Nagini close beside him – obviously I'm going to have to go to him to get near the thing –'

'Right,' said Ron, squaring his shoulders. 'So you can't go, that's what he wants, what he's expecting. You stay here and look after Hermione and Arabella, and I'll go and get it –'

Harry cut across Ron.

'You three stay here, I'll go under the Cloak and I'll be back as soon as I –'

'No,' said Arabella. 'It'll make more sense if I go. I can change into my Animagus form and –'

'Don't even think about it,' Harry snapped.

'Oh, please, I can get in and out of there as –'

The tapestry ripped open and two masked Death Eaters stood there. 'POTTER!' Before they could fully raise their wands, Hermione shouted, 'Glisseo!'

The stairs beneath their feet flattened into a chute and the four of them hurtled down it, unable to control their speed but so fast that the Death Eaters' Stunning Spells flew far over their heads. They shot through the concealing tapestry at the bottom and spun onto the floor, hitting the opposite wall.

'Duro!' cried Hermione, pointing her wand at the tapestry and there were two loud, sickening crunches at the tapestry turned to stone and the Death Eaters pursuing them crumpled against it.

'Get back!' shouted Ron, and he, Arabella, Harry and Hermione flattened themselves against a door as a herd of galloping desks thundered past, shepherded by a sprinting Professor McGonagall. She appeared not to have noticed them. Her hair had come down and there was a gash on her cheek. As she turned the corner, they heard her scream, 'CHARGE!'

'Harry, you get the Cloak on,' said Hermione. 'Never mind us –'

But he threw it over all four of them.

They ran down the next staircase and found themselves in a corridor full of duelers. The portraits on either side of the fighters were crammed with figures screaming advice and encouragement, while Death Eaters dueled students and teachers. Dean was face-to-face with Dolohov, Parvati with Travers. Then there came a great '_Wheeeeeeeeee_!' and, looking up, Arabella saw Peeves zooming over them, dropping Snargaluff pods down onto the Death Eaters, whose heads were suddenly engulfed in wriggling green tubers like fat worms.

'Argh!'

A fistful of tubers had hit the Cloak over Ron's head. The slimy green roots were suspended improbably in midair as Ron tried to shake them loose.

'Someone's invisible there!' shouted a masked Death Eater, pointing.

Dean made the most of the Death Eater's momentary distraction, knocking him out with a Stunning Spell. Dolohov attempted to retaliate and Parvati shot a Body-Bind Curse at him.

'LET'S GO!' Harry yelled, and they gathered the Cloak tightly around themselves and pelted, heads down, through the midst of the fighters, slipping a little in pools of Snargaluff juice, toward the top of the marble staircase into the entrance hall.

'I'm Draco Malfoy, I'm Draco, I'm on your side!'

Malfoy was on the upper landing, pleading with another masked Death Eater. Harry Stunned the Death Eater as they passed. Malfoy looked around, beaming, for his savior, and Ron punched him from under the Cloak. Malfoy fell backward on top of the Death Eater, his mouth bleeding, utterly bemused.

'And that's the second time we've saved your like tonight, you two-faced bastard!' Ron yelled.

There were more duelers all over the stairs and in the hall, Death Eaters everywhere Arabella looked. Yaxley, close to the front doors, in combat with Flitwick, a masked Death Eater dueling Kingsley right beside them. Students ran in every direction, some carrying or dragging injured friends. Harry directed a Stunning Spell toward the masked Death Eater, it missed but nearly hit Neville, who had emerged from nowhere brandishing armfuls of Venomous Tentacula, which loops itself around the nearest Death eater and began reeling him in.

Arabella, Harry, Ron and Hermione sped down the marble staircase. Glass shattered to their left, and the Slytherin hourglass that had recorded House points spilled its emerald everywhere, so that people slipped and staggered as they ran. Two bodies fell from the balcony overhead as they reached the ground, and a gray blur that Arabella took from an animal sped four-legged across the hall to sink its teeth into one of the fallen.

'NO!' shrieked Hermione, and with a deafening blast from her wand, Fenrir Greyback was thrown from the feebly stirring body of Lavender Brown. He hit the marble banisters and struggled to return to his feet. Then, with a bright white flash and a crack, a crystal ball fell on top of his head, and he crumpled to the ground and did not move.

'I have more!' shrieked Professor Trelawney from over the banisters. 'More for any who want them! Here –'

And with a movement like a tennis serve, she heaved another enormous crystal sphere from her bag, waved her wand through the air, and caused the ball to speed across the hall and smash through a window. At the same moment, the heavy wooden front doors burst open, and more of the gigantic spiders forced their way into the entrance hall.

Screams of terror surged through the air. The fighters scattered, Death Eaters and students alike, and red and green jets of light flew into the midst of the oncoming monsters, which shuddered and reared, more terrifying than ever.

'How do we get out?' yelled Ron over all the screaming, but before either of them could answer they were bowled aside: Hagrid had come thundering down the stairs, brandishing his flowery pink umbrella.

'Don't hut 'em, don't hurt 'em!' he yelled.

'HAGRID, NO!'

Harry sprinted out from under the Cloak, running bent double to avoid the curses illuminating the whole hall.

'HAGRID, COME BACK!'

But he was not even halfway to Hagrid with it happened. Hagrid vanished amongst the spiders, and with a great scurrying, they retreated under the onslaught of spells, Hagrid buried in their midst.

'HAGRID!'

Then Harry started to sprint down the front steps into the dark grounds.

'Harry!' yelled Arabella and she went after him.

She ran down the front steps and into the grounds to see an enormous arm waving from the midst of spider swarm and a giant standing right in front of Harry. Twenty feet high, its head was hidden in the shadow. With one brutal, fluid movement, it smashed a massive fist through an upper window, and glass rained down upon Arabella and Harry, forcing them back under the shelter of the doorway.

'Oh my –!' shrieked Hermione as she and Ron caught up with them and gazed upward at the giant now trying to seize people through the window above.

'DON'T!' Ron yelled, grabbing Hermione's hand as she raised her wand. 'Stun him and he'll crush half the castle –'

'HAGGER?'

Grawp came lurching around the corner of the castle. He was undersized giant compared to the other ones. The enormous monster trying to crush people on the upper floors looked around and let out a roar. The stone steps trembled as she stomped toward his smaller kin, and Grawp's lopsided mouth fell open, and then they launched themselves at each other with the savagery of wolves.

'RUN!' Harry roared.

They tore down the steps into the grounds as the night was full of yells and blows from the wrestling giants. They ran so fast that they were halfway through the forest before they were brought up short again.

The air around them had frozen. Arabella's breath was caught in her throat and her insides felt as though a bucket of ice was thrown over them. Dark shapes moved around, swirling and moving towards the castle, their faces hooded and their breaths rattling…

_Sirius falling through the veil… Kassandra screaming… Ted dying alone…Fred lifeless eyes… Screams… Bodies… _

The sounds of fighting behind them grew muted, deadened, because a silence only Dementors could bring was falling thickly through the night, and they Fred was gone, dead from the world, Hagrid was surely dying, and Remus and Nymph, and Teddy…

'Come on!' said Hermione's voice. 'Patronuses, Harry, come on!'

Arabella held onto her wand, but couldn't raise it. _Remus, Nymph, Ted, Kassandra, Sirius, Arabella…_

'Arabella!' snapped Ron from beside her. 'Raise your wand now! COME ON!'

Arabella looked at his face and raised her wand hopelessly towards the Dementors, but she couldn't bring herself to say the words.

_Remus, Nymph, Ted, Kassandra, Sirius, Arabella…_

She saw Ron's silver terrier burst into the air, flicker feebly, and expire. Hermione's otter twist in midair and fade and her arms slumped to her sides, useless and waiting for the inevitable to happen.

'Expecto Patronum,' Arabella whispered. A dog came running out and faded within ten seconds.

_REMUS! NYMPH! TED! KASSANDRA! SIRIUS! ARABELLA!_

And then a silver hare, a boar, and a fox soared past Arabella, Harry, Ron and Hermione's head. The Dementors fell back before the creature's approach. Three more people had arrived out of the darkness to stand beside them, their wands outstretched, continuing to cast their Patronuses: Luna, Ernie, and Seamus.

'That's right,' said Luna encouragingly, as if they were back in the Room of Requirement and this was simply spell practice for the DA. 'That's right… come on, think of something happy…'

'Something happy?' said Harry, his voice cracking.

'We're all still here,' she whispered, 'we're still fighting. Come on, now…'

There was a moment and then there was a silver stag bursting from the end of Harry's wand. It cantered forward, and now the Dementors scattered in earnest, and immediately the night was mild again, but the sounds of the surrounding battle were loud again.

'Can't thank you enough,' said Ron shakily, turning to Luna, Ernie, and Seamus, 'you just saved –'

With a roar and an earth-quaking tremor, another giant came lurching out of the darkness from the direction of the forest, wielding a club taller than any of them.

'RUN!' Harry shouted but they needed no telling.

They all scattered, and not a second too soon, for the next moment the creature's vast food had fallen exactly where they had been standing. Arabella, Harry, Ron and Hermione stayed together while the others vanished back into the battle.

'Let's get out of range!' yelled Ron as the giant swung its club again and its bellows echoed through the night, across the grounds where jets of light continued to illuminate the darkness.

'The Whomping Willow,' said Harry, 'go!'

Arabella sprinted, ignored the jets of light flying the dark all around them. She ran, hoping that she would forget about the fact that her family was in the castle fighting for their lives and for the lives of others.

It was Harry who saw the great three first. But Arabella kept going, turning into her Animagus form, mid-step, and kept running. She ran past Harry, past the branches that she wished would strike her and into the hidden earth passage in the tree's roots. The moment she fell to the ground, she was back in her human form.

'Remus,' she whispered, her voice hoarse. 'Nymph, Ted, Sirius, Kassandra, Arabella... Remus, Nymph, Ted, Sirius, Kassandra, Arabella… Remus, Nymph, Ted, Sirius, Kassandra, Arabella…'

She kept repeating these names under her breath over and over again as the others appeared in the tunnel behind her.

'Sorry,' whispered Arabella.

'Doesn't matter,' Harry whispered back. 'Just move.'

The tunnel was low-ceilinged and they had to crawl. When the tunnel began to slope upward and there was a silver light ahead, Arabella whispered, 'Harry, climb over me and put the Cloak on.'

Harry climbing over her was awkward and quick and he slipped the Cloak on him and then they continued on their hands and knees, silently as possible.

And then they heard voices, low voices muffled by the opening at the end of the tunnel that had been blocked up by what looked like an old crate. They stayed still while Harry edged closer to the opened and peered through a tiny gap between the crate and the wall. Arabella, Hermione and couldn't hear anything, they couldn't see anything. They laid there, waiting, listening to the silence, for anything that could mean that somebody was finally dead and that –

There was a terrible scream. A shrill filling the silence that made Arabella's fingers dig into the ground where she lay.

'Harry!' breathed Hermione behind her.

He pointed his wand at the crate blocking their view and it lifted into the air by an inch and drifted sideways silently. Harry then pulled himself up into the room. Arabella followed after a while, and then Hermione, and then Ron.

Arabella saw Snape, the man she hated for years, on the floor, white face and with a staunch bloody wound at his neck. The snake – Voldemort's snake – attacked him. Harry bent over him and Snape seized the front of his robes and pulled him close.

It was a terrible rasp that filled the room and a gurgling noise coming from Snape's throat.

'Take… it… Take… it….'

Something else was leaking from Snape. Something silvery blue gushed out from his mouth and his ears and his eyes and Arabella knew what it was. Hermione thrust a flash into Harry's hands. He lifted the silvery substance into it with his wand. When the flask was full to the brim, and Snape looked as though there was no blood left in him, he whispered, 'Look… at… me….'

Harry looked Snape in the eye. Green meeting black and then the hand holding Harry thudded to the floor and Snape moved no more.

They all stood there, simply staring down at the man they have loathed for years, when a high, cold voice spoke. Voldemort's voice reverberated from the walls and floor and he was talking to Hogwarts and to all the surrounding area, his breath on the back of their necks.

'You have fought,' said a high, cold voice, 'valiantly. Lord Voldemort knows how to value bravery. Yet you have sustained heavy losses. If you continue to resist me, you will all die, one by one. I do not wish this to happen. Every drop of magical blood spilled is a loss and a waste.

'Lord Voldemort is merciful. I command my forces to retreat immediately.

'You have one hour. Dispose of your dead with dignity. Treat your injured.

'I speak now, Harry Potter, directly to you. You have permitted your friends to die for you rather than face me yourself. I shall wait for one hour in the Forbidden Forest. If, at the end of that hour, you have not come to me, have not given yourself up, then battle recommences. This time, I shall enter the fray myself, Harry Potter, and I shall find you, and I shall punish every last man, woman, and child who has tried to conceal you from me. One hour.'

Both Ron and Hermione shook their heads frantically, looking at Harry.

'Don't listen to him,' said Ron.

'It'll be all right,' said Hermione wildly. 'Let's – let's get back to the castle, if he's gone to the forest we'll need to think of a new plan –'

She glanced at Snape's body, then hurried back to the tunnel entrance. Ron followed her, then Arabella and finally Harry. They crawled back through the tunnel, none of them talking.

Small bundles seemed to litter the lawn at the front of the castle. They hurried toward the stone steps. The castle was unnaturally silent. There were no flashes of light now, no bangs or screams or shouts.

'Where is everyone?' whispered Hermione.

Ron led the way to the Great Hall.

The House tables were gone and the room was crowded. The survivors stood in groups, their arms around each other's necks. The injured were being treated upon the raised platform by Madam Pomfrey and a group of helpers.

The dead lay in a row in the middle of the Hall. Fred's body was surrounded by his family. George was kneeling at his head. Mrs Weasley was lying across Fred's chest, her body shaking, Mr Weasley stroke her hair while tears cascaded down her cheeks.

Ron and Hermione walked away as Arabella's eyes scanned the row of bodies, searching and making sure that none of her –

'No,' whispered Arabella. She froze her movements and her body became rigid. 'No, no, no…'

She walked slowly, taking a step forward, slow step, giving them time to wake up, but nobody did and she stalked towards them, gaining speed until an arm enclosed around her stomach and pulling her away.

'Don't,' said Harry, though his voice sounded faraway. 'Don't let this be the last memory you have of them.'

But she shoved him away. She didn't need his empty words to try and comfort her. She needed… She needed…

'Remus,' breathed Arabella, kneeling beside him. She gently placed both her hands on his cheeks. 'Remus… Moony, please wake up… wake up… please… wake up for me…'

Arabella pleaded with his lifeless body, crying and tearing at her hair while somebody's arms where trying to pull her away from the only person she cared about.

'NO!' shrieked Arabella, kicking them away and gripping onto the body of Remus Lupin before pulling him up and onto her lap slowly.

She sat cross-legged on the cold stone floor of the Great Hall with Remus's head on her lap and she gently stroked his hair. Tears were gushing down her face and she didn't wipe them away. They spilled down her cheeks and onto the skin of Remus.

She was shaking. Her shoulders shook, her throat closing up, her eyes blurry, but all she could see was Remus. She blinked and she saw Remus. Her eyes were burning and all she could see was Remus.

'Remus… please wake up,' choked Arabella, her voice cracking and closing up and so raw she wanted to scratch at them. 'Remus… please…'

He was pale, still and so peaceful, she knew her efforts were futile.

She wanted to rip her heart out. She wanted to rip her still beating heart from her body and hold it in her hands, to squeeze the blood out of it. She wanted to bleed, to watch the blood flow from her body, to see her veins turn blue through her skins. Everything inside of her was screaming and she wanted to bleed out right now and to see Remus's eyes.

He didn't open his eyes as she kept crying and crying and shaking and sobbing, and he was gone. He left her alone in the world. He left her and he went somewhere without her.

Remus Lupin left Arabella Black and didn't take her along with him.

Her fingers trembled as she placed her hand on his cheek once again. He was cold, _so cold_, and peaceful, and she wanted him to wake up…

Arabella kissed her forehead. His body shook as hers did. She looked at him, gently stroking his pale skin and let out a scream of anguish, of pain, of suffering, of grief, of sorrow, of heartache that filled the Great Hall and echoed back to her.

**Thank you. **


	29. Their Final Encounter

**disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, just Arabella. Hope you like it! **

Their Final Encounter

Arabella has no idea how long she has been in her position. It could have been hours, days, weeks, months, years. Everything was dead around her. She didn't care what happened to everyone else. They were tiny little dots on her spectrum compared to Remus Lupin. Her eyes were still blurred and it was burning and she needed to blink. She was scared to blink. _What if he disappeared_?

She kept his body close, hugging him close to her body, cradling his body in her arms, as though holding a baby.

They took him away from her. _They took away the greatest thing in her life away from her. _

'You have to let him go,' said someone.

_No… no…_

Was she speaking out loud? Did that person hear her?

It didn't matter, that person took him away from her. They took Remus's body away from her arms and placed him back on the ground.

'No,' whispered Arabella, her arms reaching back out for her Remus. 'No, please, don't, no, no, no…'

The next thing she knew, she was on her feet. Someone was dragging her away. Someone was dragging her away from her family. The only family she ever had growing up and… someone was dragging her away from that without mercy.

'No, bring him back,' sobbed Arabella, her feet no moving, but still her body was. Why was she moving? Who the hell was moving her? What sort of person does this to someone –

Then she was back in the entrance hall. She was gasping and wheezing and she needed room, but there were only three people in the entrance hall. Arabella's heart was racing, beating against her ribs. If her ribs broke, then it would pierce her heart. She doesn't need it. She doesn't need her heart. It was gone a long time ago. Her heart's empty now.

'Harry,' breathed Arabella, turning to him. Her face was covered with dirt and tears and she held onto the front of Harry's robes. 'Harry, bring him back. Please, bring him back. Bring him back for me… please.'

She pleaded and sobbed and held onto Harry, who just covered her hands with his own.

'I'm sorry,' he whispered. 'For everything, I'm sorry.'

Arabella cried harder than ever at his declaration. The truth of it all came from Harry. Remus can't come back. He was gone and he left Arabella in this mess. The one person she needed was gone and she was alone.

'Neville,' said Harry, turning to the other person, 'kill the snake. Just in case the others are busy or – if you get the chance –'

'Kill the snake?' said Neville.

'Kill it.'

'Yeah, all right, Harry. We're all going to keep fight. You know that?'

'Yeah, I –'

The room was suffocating and it got to Harry as well. Neville understood and patted Harry on the shoulder before walking back into the Great Hall. Arabella was still holding onto Harry as though he was her life line and they just stood like that for a while, the only sound was Arabella's sobs.

'Harry, please…'

'I'm sorry,' said Harry in a hoarse voice that didn't sound as though it came from him. He then kissed her forehead, his hand behind her neck. His kiss lingered for a while before he said, 'I'm sorry.'

Arabella almost choked when Harry disappeared and she could taste the bile in her mouth. Neville walked back into the entrance hall just as Arabella ran out of the castle, dropped to her knees and threw out the contents of her stomach. Neville was holding back her hair and rubbing her back as she continued to throw up on the grounds.

Then her back straightened out and she looked over the grounds with destroyed pieces of the castle, carnage of the battle and dawn was slowly approaching. The sky was purple and it was beautiful. It was too beautiful for this day, for this night. It was beautiful and it was mocking everyone in the castle, crying over their loved one's bodies.

'Neville,' said Arabella, her voice sounding raw and she held her hand out, 'take my hand.'

'What –?'

'Take my hand, Neville. Take it, just take the god damn hand!'

Neville knelt beside her and took her hand carefully. They intertwined their fingers together and stared out into the beautiful sky.

'Who killed him, Neville?' Arabella asked, trying not to choke.

'He and Tonks were fighting against Antonin Dolohov and Bellatrix Lestrange,' said Neville, trying not to wince as Arabella's hold on his tightened.

'Bellatrix,' said Arabella, 'and Dolohov. Thank you, Neville.' There was a slight pause and then she said, 'He had a baby with Tonks, did you know? It was a boy, and his name's Teddy. Teddy's barely a month old and he already lost his parents.' An uncomfortable silence where Neville had no idea what to say. 'I'm going to kill her, Neville. I'm going to kill her and everything is going to be okay, and after that, I'll go see Remus again.'

And then there was silence. Neville choose not to say anything. They stayed like that for a while, staring out into the sky and just listening at the small rustling of leaves and the howl of the wind. They were never prepared for this. They never prepare you for a battle in the classroom. They were out of their debts. You learn from war, not in the classroom.

'NO!'

There was a terrible scream that Arabella has never heard of come out of Professor McGonagall. She and Neville looked at each other before walking towards where Professor McGonagall was. The doorway to the castle was filled as people, survivors of the battle, came out onto the front steps and filled up the grounds. Arabella and Neville pushed their way through the crowd.

'No!'

'_No_!'

She didn't know what Ron and Hermione were screaming about, but then she was at the front of the crowd, standing next to Ron, and she saw it. A crowd of Death Eaters, Voldemort leading the charge, and Hagrid, surrounded by them, carrying the body of a dead Harry Potter.

'Harry! HARRY!'

Arabella made to go and run to his body, but Ron stopped her, grabbed her around her waist. Everyone was screaming and yelling, but none louder than Arabella.

'_No_! _NOOOOOOOO_!'

There was a woman laughing and Arabella knew that Bellatrix gloried in her despair. Arabella struggled against Ron, people were crying, people were yelling, cursing at the Death Eaters, wishing for their deaths, until –

'SILENCE!' cried Voldemort, and there was a bang and a flash of bright light, and silence was forced upon them. 'It is over! Set him down, Hagrid, at my feet, where he belong!'

Hagrid walked forward slowly, his face covered with tears, and placed Harry down onto the grass.

'You see?' said Voldemort, striding back and forth beside the place where Harry lay. 'Harry Potter is dead! Do you understand now, deluded ones? He was nothing, ever, but a boy who relied on others to sacrifices themselves for him!'

'He beat you!' yelled Ron, still holding Arabella. The charm broke and the defenders of Hogwarts were shouting and screaming again until a second, more powerful bang smothered their voices once more.

'He was killed while trying to sneak out of the castle grounds,' said Voldemort, 'killed while trying to save himself –'

Voldemort broke off. Neville charged towards him, anger written all over his face. There was another bang, a flash of light, and a grunt of pain. Neville was on the ground, disarmed. Voldemort discarded the wand and laughed.

'And who is this?' he said in a soft hiss. 'Who had volunteered to demonstrate what happens to those who continue to fight when the battle is lost?'

Bellatrix Lestrange gave a delighted laugh.

'It is Neville Longbottom, my Lord! The boy who has been giving the Carrows so much trouble! The son of the Aurors, remember?'

'Ah, yes, I remember,' said Voldemort, looking down at Neville, who was struggling back to his feet, unarmed and unprotected, standing between the survivors and the Death Eaters. No-man's-land. 'But are a pureblood, aren't you, my brave boy?' Voldemort asked Neville, who stood facing him, his empty hands curled in fists.

'So what if I am?' said Neville loudly.

'You show spirit and bravery, and you come of noble stock. You will make a very valuable Death Eater. We need your kind, Neville Longbottom.'

'I'll join you when hell freezes over,' said Neville. 'Dumbledore's Army!' he shouted, and there was an answering cheer from the crowd, whom Voldemort's Silencing Charm seemed unable to hold.

'Very well,' said Voldemort dangerously. 'If that is your choice, Longbottom, we revert to the original plan. On your head,' he said quietly, 'be it.'

Voldemort waved his wand and seconds later, out of one of the castle's shattered windows, flew and landed in Voldemort's hand. He shook the object by its pointed end and it dangled, empty and ragged. It was the Sorting Hat.

'There will be no more Sorting at Hogwarts School,' said Voldemort. 'There will be no more Houses. The emblem, shield, and colours of my noble ancestor, Salazar Slytherin, will suffice for everyone. Won't they, Neville Longbottom?'

He pointed his wand at Neville, who grew rigid and still, then forced the hat onto Neville's head, so that it slipped down below his eyes. There were movements from the watching crowd in front of the castle, and as one, the Death Eaters raised their wands, holding the fighters of Hogwarts at bay.

'Neville here is now going to demonstrate what happens to anyone foolish enough to continue to oppose me,' said Voldemort, and with a flick of his wand, he caused the Sorting Hat to burst into flames.

Screams filled the air, none more louder than Ginny, who was being held back by Mr Weasley. Neville was aflame, rooted to the spot, unable to move, and many things happen at the same time.

There was uproar from the distant boundary of the school as what sounded like hundreds of people swarming over the out-sight-walls and pelted toward the castle, uttering loud war cried. At the same time, Grawp came lumbering around the side of the castle and yelled, 'HAGGER!' His cry was answered by roars from Voldemort's giants. They ran at Grawp like bulls, making the earth shake. Then came hooves and the ping of bows, and arrows were suddenly falling amongst the Death Eaters, who broke ranks, shouting their surprise.

In one fluid, swift motion, Neville broke free of the Body-Bind Curse upon him. The flaming hat fell off him and he drew from its depths something silver, with a glittering, rubied handle and the sword of Gryffindor was in his hands.

The slash of the blade could not be heard over the roar of the oncoming crowd or the sounds of the giants or the stampeding centaurs, and yet it seemed to draw every eye. With a single stroke Neville sliced off the great snake's head, which spun high into the air, gleaming in the light from the entrance hall, and Voldemort's mouth was open in a scream of fury that nobody could hear over the commotion –

Over the screams and roars, Hagrid's was the loudest of them all.

'HARRY!' Hagrid shouted. 'HARRY – WHERE'S HARRY?'

There was chaos everywhere. The charging centaurs were scattering the Death Eaters, everyone was fleeing the giants' stamping feet, and reinforcements came from nowhere. They were being forced back into the castle where the battle resumed.

Yaxley was slammed to the floor by George and Lee. Ron and Neville brought down a screaming Dolohov. Macnair was thrown across the room by Hagrid, hit the stone wall opposite and slid unconscious to the ground. Aberforth Dumbledore Stunned Rookwood, Mr Weasley and Percy floored Thicknesse. Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy were running through the crowd, not even attempting to fight, screaming for their son.

Fenrir Greyback attacked a second year that managed to sneak back into the castle. Ginny blasted him off. He turned his eyes towards her, his teeth gleaming and ready for the attack and –

'NOT MY DAUGHTER, YOU BASTARD!'

Mrs Weasley threw off her coat, freeing her arms, and stalked towards where Greyback was. She looked like a saber-toothed lioness ready to strike as she stood between a monster and her daughter.

'What will happen to your children when I've killed you?' Greyback snarled, though he was smiling at his new challenge. 'It's a shame that I never fully got to your son. Billy, was it?'

'You – will – never – touch – our – children – again!' screamed Mrs Weasley.

Greyback laughed and ran at Mrs Weasley in full speed, his claws stretched out –

Molly's curse soared and hit him in the middle of his chest. Greyback froze for a moment, staring incredulously at Molly before toppling over –

Voldemort was dueling McGonagall, Slughorn and Kingsley at once, and there was cold hatred in his face as they wove and ducked around him, unable to finish him –

Bellatrix was fighting too, fifty somewhat yards away from Voldemort, she dueled two at once. Hermione and Luna, both battling their hardest, but leagues away from Bellatrix –

'MOVE!'

Bellatrix spun on the spot, roaring with laughter at the sight of Arabella coming to challenge her.

'YOU!' screamed Bellatrix in delight, laughing and jumping.

'I SAID MOVE!' roared Arabella to Hermione and Luna. She didn't see Hermione give her a nod as she turned to Bellatrix, flexing her hands, cracking her fingers as Bellatrix did the same. They were both ready. 'It's just you and me, Bella. It's been a long time coming, hasn't it? Black against Black. We both want this for a long time. You ready?'

Arabella blocked the first spell Bellatrix threw at her. It wasn't the real one. It was just a tester, a teaser for the both of them, and a teaser for the others watching.

'You think you can beat me?' sneered Bellatrix, smiling as though she already won the battle. 'A little school girl against the Dark Lord's right hand? Your mongrel of a godfather is lying somewhere dead with his pathetic, wrench of a wife. I finished them. I took them out just like I did with your mother and my dear cousin. You think you can defeat me?' Her tongue clicked and she smiled with her tongue running on her top lip. '_This is going to be fun_.'

With a swipe of their wands, they began to duel. Slashing and twirling. Jets of red light and jets of green light coming from their wands. Arabella didn't know which belonged to which.

Both Blacks were fighting to the death.

'Impedimenta!'

Arabella was knocked backwards, hitting the stone cold floor behind her.

'NO!' cried Arabella as a few people, including Hermione, Luna, Ginny and Mrs Weasley, ran forward, trying to come to her aid. 'Stand back! _She's mine_! Go away!'

'CRUCIO!'

Arabella let out a grunt when the red light made its way towards her. After taking a deep breath, she slowly got to her feet, wand in her hand, and turned back to face Bellatrix Lestrange. She smiled at Bellatrix before chuckling, and that chuckle turned into a full blown out laugh. She was just as mad as Bellatrix.

'You should have killed me,' said Arabella, tears in her eyes and laughing again. 'All those years ago. You were sitting on top of me with a blade in your hand and that blade had my blood on it. You should have slit my throat and gotten it over with. You stupid _bitch_. You should have killed me a long time ago.'

Bellatrix laughed at her declaration and Arabella laughed because their laughs reminded Arabella of the same one Sirius gave just before he toppled backwards through the veil. She knew that after this, it was going to be over for her. The story of Arabella Black and Bellatrix Lestrange was coming to an end.

Arabella waved her wand, green light came out, soared and hit Bellatrix right in the chest, right over her heart.

Bellatrix's smile froze, her eyes bulged and Arabella's eyes bulged out. For the tiniest space of time, Bellatrix Lestrange knew what happened, and then she toppled, and the watching crowd roared, and Voldemort screamed.

McGonagall, Kingsley, and Slughorn blasted backward, failing and writhing through the air, as Voldemort's fury at the fall of his last, best lieutenant exploded with the force of a bomb. Voldemort raised his wand and directed it at Arabella Black.

Arabella took a deep breath and closed her eyes, ready from the explosion, and ready to see Remus once again.

**Thank you for reading! The next chapter is the last one. **


	30. The Resurrection Stone

**disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter! Oh, My God! The last chapter of The Deathly Hallows! I never would have thought that I would have come this far. I mean, I really thought all of you guys would have hated it and would have begged and PM me to stop writing for the rest of my life. You guys are the best. Thank you to all of you that have reviewed, followed and added this story as your favourite. You guys make me so happy. Thank you all so much! **

**This whole book has been a whole roller coaster of a ride. A lot happened! Have any favourite moments? I would love to hear from you guys. T****he next book should be out soon. The first chapter isn't a actual chapter, it's more of a heads up on what to expect so you guys can decide whether or not you wish to continue with the story.**

**Anyways, I hope you like this last chapter! **

The Resurrection Stone

'Protego!' roared Harry, and the shield Charm expanded in the middle of the Hall, and Voldemort stared around for the source as Harry pulled off the Invisibility Cloak, revealing himself.

The yells of shock, the cheers, the screams on every side of 'Harry!' 'HE'S ALIVE!' were stifled at once. The crowd was afraid, and silence fell abruptly and completely as Voldemort and Harry looked at each other, and began, at the same moment, to circle each other.

'I don't want anybody else to try to help,' Harry said loudly. 'It's got to be like this. It's got to be me.'

Voldemort hissed.

'Potter doesn't mean that,' he said, his red eyes wide. 'That isn't how he works, is it? Who are you going to use as a shield today, Potter?'

'Nobody,' said Harry simply. 'There are no more Horcruxes. It's just you and me. Neither can live while the other survives, and one of us is about to leave for good…'

'One of us?' jeered Voldemort, and his whole body was taut and his red eyes stared, a snake ready to strike. 'You think it would be you, do you, the boy who survived by accident, and because Dumbledore was pulling the strings?'

'Accident, was it, when my mother died to save me?' asked Harry. They were still moving sideways, both of them in that perfect circle, maintaining the same distance from each other, and for Harry no face existed but Voldemort's. 'Accident, when I decided to fight in that graveyard? Accident, that I didn't defend myself tonight, and still survived, and returned to fight again?'

'_Accidents_!' screamed Voldemort, but still he did not strike, and the watching crowd was frozen as if Petrified, and of the hundreds in the Hall, nobody seemed to breathe but they too. 'Accident and chance and the fact that you crouched and sniveled behind the skirts of greater men and women, and permitted me to kill them for you!

'You won't be killing anyone else tonight,' said Harry as they circled, and stared into each other's eyes, green into red. 'You won't be able to kill any of them ever again. Don't you get it? I was ready to die to stop you from hurting these people –'

'But you did not!'

' – I meant to, and that's what did it. I've done what my mother did. They're protected from you. Haven't you noticed how none of the spells you put on them are binding? You can't torture them. You can't touch them. You don't learn from your mistakes, Riddle, do you?'

'_You dare –'_

'Yes, I dare,' said Harry. 'I know things you don't know, Tom Riddle. I know lots of important things that you don't. Want to hear some, before you make another big mistake?'

Voldemort did not speak, but prowled in a circle, and Harry knew that he kept him temporarily mesmerized and at bay, held back by the faintest possibility that Harry might indeed know a final secret…

'Is it love again?' said Voldemort, his snake's face jeering. 'Dumbledore's favourite solution, _love, _which he claimed conquered death, though love did not stop him falling from the tower and breaking like an old waxwork? _Love, _which did not prevent me stamping out your Mudblood mother like a cockroach, Potter – and nobody seems to love you enough to run forward this time and take my curse. So what will stop you dying now when I strike?'

'Just one thing,' said Harry, and still they circled each other, wrapped in each other, held apart by nothing but the last secret.

'If it is not love that will save you this time,' sad Voldemort, 'you must believe that you have magic that I do not, or else a weapon more powerful than mine?'

'I believe both,' said Harry, and he saw shock flit across the snakelike face, though it was instantly dispelled. Voldemort began to laugh, and the sound was more frightening than his screams. Humorless and insane, it echoed around the silent Hall.

'You think _you_ know more magic than I do?' he said. 'Than _I_, than Lord Voldemort, who has performed magic that Dumbledore himself never dreamed of?'

'Oh, he dreamed of it,' said Harry, 'but he knew more than you, knew enough not to do what you've done.'

'You mean he was weak!' screamed Voldemort. 'Too weak to dare, too weak to take what might have been his, what will be mine!'

'No, he was cleverer than you,' said Harry, 'a better wizard, a better man.'

'I brought about the death of Albus Dumbledore.'

'You thought you did,' said Harry, 'but you were wrong.'

For the first time, the watching crowd stirred as the hundreds of people around the walls drew breath as one.

'_Dumbledore is dead_!' Voldemort hurled the words at Harry as though they would cause him unendurable pain. 'His body decays in the marble tomb in the grounds of this castle, I have seen it, Potter, and he will not return!'

'Yes, Dumbledore's dead,' said Harry calmly, 'but you didn't have him killed. He chose his own manner of dying, chose it months before he died, arranged the whole thing with the man you thought was your servant.'

'What childish dream is this?' said Voldemort, but still he did not strike, and his red eyes did not waver from Harry's.

'Severus Snape wasn't yours,' said Harry. 'Snape was Dumbledore's, Dumbledore's from the moment you started hunting down my mother. And you never realized it, because of the thing you can't understand. You never saw Snape cast as Patronus, did you, Riddle?'

Voldemort did not answer. They continued to circle each other like wolves about to tear each other apart.

'Snape's Patronus was a doe,' said Harry, 'the same as my mother's, because he loved her for nearly all of his life, from the time when they were children. You should have realized,' he said as he saw Voldemort's nostrils flare, 'he asked you to spare her life, didn't he?'

'He desired her, that was all,' sneered Voldemort, 'but when she had gone, he agreed that there were other women, and of purer blood, worthier of him –'

'Of course he told you that,' said Harry, 'but he was Dumbledore's spy from the moment you threatened her, and he's been working against you ever since! Dumbledore was already dying when Snape finished him!'

'It matters not!' shrieked Voldemort, who had followed every word with rapt attention, but now let out a cackle of mad laughter. 'It matter not whether Snape was mine of Dumbledore's, or what petty obstacles they tried to put in my path! I crushed them as I crushed your mother, Snape's supposed great _love_! Oh, but it all makes sense, Potter, and in ways that you do not understand!

'Dumbledore was trying to keep the Elder Wand from me! He intended that Snape should be the true master of the wand! But I got there ahead of you, little boy – I reached the wand before you could get your hands on it, I understood the truth before you caught up. I killed Severus Snape three hours ago, and the Elder Wand, the Deathstick, the Wand of Destiny is truly mine! Dumbledore's last plan went wrong, Harry Potter!'

'Yeah, it did,' said Harry. 'You're right. But before you try to kill me, I'd advise you to think about what you've done… Think, and try for some remorse, Riddle…'

'What is this?'

Of all the things that Harry had said to him, beyond any revelation or taunt, nothing had shocked Voldemort like this. Harry saw his pupils contract to thin slits, saw the skin around his eyes whiten.

'It's your one last chance,' said Harry, 'it's all you've got left… I've seen what you'll be otherwise… Be a man… try… Try for some remorse…'

'You dare –?' said Voldemort again.

'Yes, I dare,' said Harry, 'because Dumbledore's last plan hasn't backfired on me at all. It's backfired on you, Riddle.'

Voldemort's hand was trembling on the Elder Wand, and Harry gripped Draco's very tightly. The moment, he knew, was seconds away.

'That wand still isn't working properly for you because you murdered the wrong person. Severus Snape was never the true master of the Elder Wand. He never defeated Dumbledore.'

'He killed –'

'Aren't you listening? _Snape never beat Dumbledore_! Dumbledore's death was planned between them! Dumbledore intended to die undefeated, the wand's last true master! If all had gone as planned, the wand's power would have died with him, because it had never been won from him!'

'But then, Potter, Dumbledore as good as gave me the wand!' Voldemort's voice shook with malicious pleasure. 'I stole the wand from its master's tomb! I removed it against its last master's wishes! Its power is mine!'

'You still don't get it, Riddle, do you? Possessing the wand isn't enough! Holding it, using it, doesn't make it really yours. Didn't you listen to Ollivander? _The wand chooses the wizard… _The Elder Wand recognized a new master before Dumbledore died, someone who never even laid a hand on it. the new master removed the wand from Dumbledore against his will, never realizing exactly what he had done, or that the world's most dangerous wand had given him its allegiance…'

Voldemort's chest rose and fell rapidly, and Harry could feel the curse coming, feel it building inside the wand pointed at his face.

'The true master of the Elder Wand was Draco Malfoy.'

Blank shock showed in Voldemort's face for a moment, but then it was gone.

'But what does it matter?' he said softly. 'Even if you are right, Potter, it makes no difference to you and me. You no longer have the phoenix wand. We duel on skill alone… and after I have killed you, I can attend to Draco Malfoy…'

'But you're too late,' said Harry. 'You've missed your chance. I got there first. I overpowered Draco weeks ago. I took this wand from him.'

Harry twitched the hawthorn wand, and he felt the eyes of everyone in the Hall upon it.

'So it all comes down to this, doesn't it?' whispered Harry. 'Does the wand in your hand know its last master was Disarmed? Because if it does… I am the true master of the Elder Wand.'

A red-gold glow burst suddenly across the enchanted sky above them as an edge of dazzling sun appeared over the sill of the nearest window. The light hit both of their faces at the same time, so that Voldemort's was suddenly a flaming blur. Harry heard the high voice shriek as he too yelled his best hope to the heavens, pointing Draco's wand:

_'Avada Kedavra_!'

'_Expelliarmus_!'

The bang was like a cannon blast, and the golden flames that erupted between them, at the dead center of the circle they had been treading, marked that point where the spells collided. Harry saw Voldemort's green jet meet his own spell, saw the Elder Wand fly high, dark against the sunrise, spinning across the enchanted ceiling like the head of Nagini, spinning through the air toward the master it would not kill, who had come to take full possession of it at last. And Harry, with the unerring skill of the Seeker, caught the wand in his free hand as Voldemort fell backward, arms splayed, the slit of pupils of the scarlet rolled upward. Tom Riddle hit the floor with a mundane finality, his body feeble and shrunken, the white hands empty, the snakelike face vacant and unknowing. Voldemort was dead, killed by his own rebounding curse, and Harry stood with two wands in his hand, staring down at his enemy's shell.

One shivering second of silence, the shock of the moment suspended, and then the tumult broke around Harry as the screams and the cheers and the roars of the watchers rent the air. The fierce new sun dazzled the windows as they thundered toward him, and the first to reach him were Ron and Hermione, and it was their arms that were wrapped around him, their incomprehensible shouts that deafened him. Then Ginny, Neville, and Luna were there, and then all the Weasleys and Hagrid, and Kingsley and McGonagall and Flitwick and Sprout, and Harry could not hear a word that anyone was shouting, nor tell whose hands were seizing him, pulling him, trying to hug some part of him, hundreds of them pressing in, all of them determined to touch the Boy Who Lived, the reason it was over at last –

The sun rose steadily over Hogwarts, and the Great Hall blazed with life and light. Harry was an indispensable part of the mingled outpourings of jubilation and mourning, of grief and celebration. They wanted him there with them, their leader and symbol, their savior and their guide, and that he had not slept, that he craved the company of only a few of them, seemed to occur to no one. He must speak to the bereaved, clasp their hands, witness their tears, receive their thanks, hear the news now creeping in from every quarter as the morning drew on. That the Imperiused up and down the country had come back to themselves, that Death Eaters were fleeing or else being captured, that the innocent of Azkaban were being released at that very moment, and that Kingsley Shacklebolt had been named temporary Minister of Magic…

They moved Voldemort's body and laid it in a chamber off the Hall, away from the bodies of Fred, Tonks, Remus, Colin Creevey, and fifty others who had died fighting him. McGonagall had replaced the House tables, but nobody was sitting according to House anymore. All were jumbled together, teachers and pupils, ghosts and parents, centaurs and house-elves, and Firenze lay recovering in a corner, and Grawp peered in through a smashed window, and people were throwing food into his laughing mouth. After a while, exhausted and drained, Harry found himself sitting on a bench beside Luna.

'I'd want some peace and quiet, if it were me,' she said.

'I'd love some,' he replied.

'I'll distract them all,' she said. 'Use your Cloak.'

And before he could say a word she had cried, 'Oooh, look, a Blibbering Humdinger!' and pointed out of the window. Everyone who heard looked around, and Harry slid the Cloak up over himself, and got to his feet.

Now he could move through the Hall without interference. He spotted Ginny two tables away. She was sitting with her head on her mother's shoulders while Neville and Mr Weasley were talking to each other, the sword of Gryffindor lying on the bench next to him. Along the aisle between the tables he walked, and he spotted the three Malfoys, huddled together as though unsure whether or not they were supposed to be there, but nobody was paying them any attention. Everywhere he looked he saw families reunited, and finally, he saw them.

'It's me,' he muttered, crouching down between them. 'Have you seen Arabella?'

'I think she went outside,' said Hermione quietly. 'She left a long time ago.'

* * *

Arabella left as soon as she could. As soon as Voldemort finally hit the ground, she left. She slipped quietly through the cheering crowd and left the castle. She walked quietly around the Great Lake before standing in front of the lake with her bare toes touching the cold water. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes and took a step into the water. The cold, freezing, icy water. She kept walking until the water was up to her knees.

'It's so beautiful,' whispered Arabella, looking out into the distance. The sun was hitting the lake perfectly and the water was glowing. 'I know you're there, Harry.'

'You left,' he stated simply. Arabella turned around slowly to see him, battered and warn out. 'When?'

'After Voldemort hit the floor,' said Arabella. 'Everyone was too busy celebrating to notice.'

Harry nodded, but neither of them said anything for a while. They either looked at each other or at the grass or lake.

'You died,' stated Arabella simply, taking a deep breath. 'And I was jealous of you. You got to die.'

'It had to be done,' said Harry. 'I was a Horcrux and Voldemort had to kill me. He killed a part of himself in the end.'

Arabella nodded before saying, 'Go back inside, Harry. Please leave me alone for a while. Go to Hermione or Ron or the other Weasleys. Just leave me alone, please.'

'I've – I've got something for you,' said Harry shakily. 'It's in the forest, but I think you need it right now. Just – follow me.'

Harry started to walk away and Arabella, still contemplating, followed him after a few minutes, intrigued as to what he had for her. Harry slowed down a few paces to walk side by side, but Arabella took a couple steps to the right, putting space between them. If Harry didn't like it, he didn't say anything about it. They kept walking until they reached the edge of the forest and Arabella stopped while Harry took a couple steps forward and took out his wand. He muttered a couple words under his breath and they waited, not saying anything else to each other.

Arabella watched him carefully, waiting to see if something was going to happen. For a while nothing did, then something small, something really small, soared into Harry's hand. He held it in his hands for a few minutes before turning back to Arabella and walking towards her. He took her hand, undid the fist and placed something in it before closing up her hand once again. H then kissed her forehead, ignoring how she stiffened, and walked away, back to the castle. Arabella waited until the sound of his footsteps softened before uncurling her hand.

It was a black stone with a crack running down the vertical line representing the Elder Wand. The triangle and circle representing the Cloak and the stone were still discernible. She was holding The Resurrection Stone.

She understood without overthinking about it. She closed her eyes and turned the stone over in her hands as many times as she could and it happened. It worked.

There were slight movements around her that suggested shifting of feet on twigs. She opened her eyes and looked around. They weren't ghosts but they were flesh either. Much more than ghosts, but less than living bodies. They moved toward her, and on each face, there was a loving smile.

Sirius was tall and handsome, and younger than Arabella had seen him in life. He loped with an easy grace, his hands in his pockets and a grin on his face.

Nymphadora was energetic, slightly out of breath. She was bouncing on her toes, wearing the clothes in which she died in.

Remus was younger, and much less shabby, and his hair was thicker and darker. He looked happy to be back in this familiar place, with so much juvenile wanderings.

Kassandra's smile was the widest of them all. She drew closer to Arabella, searching her face as though she would never be able to look at her enough.

'Why – why are you all here?' asked Arabella, her voice already cracking.

'You called us,' said Kassandra. 'You have been so brave.'

'We are so proud of you,' said Sirius.

'Even Mad-Eye's proud,' said Nymph.

'You left,' said Arabella, addressing Remus more than the others. 'You left me in this mess and – you – you – you're dead – how – how – how am I supposed to live without you?!'

The end of the sentence came out as a scream. It was unintended on Arabella's part, but watching them, all of them, it wasn't something she needed. They were all so close, but yet miles away.

'You don't,' said Remus. 'You take us with you. You lost all of us in a short span of eighteen years. You will never get over this but we will always live forever in your heart. It's never going to be what it was before, but you will learn to heal and mend it over time.'

'My stupid little broken heart,' muttered Arabella angrily. 'I told you, I told you both to leave the moment I saw you. You would still be alive if you had just left when I told you to.'

Remus and Nymph looked at each other for a moment before turning back to Arabella.

'If we told you to leave, you would have hexed us and walked over our bodies to the battle,' said Nymph. 'And you know it. Do not tell us what to do, Arabella. Allow us the freedom of our choice. Do not assume we would lie down as the rest of you fight for a world that all of us could be happier in. That's what we did.'

'That's what I did,' said Sirius. 'And that's what your mother did as well.'

Arabella turned back to Kassandra, who was still staring at her, absorbing her. In all the times she spent hating her for the lies and secrets, she found them all disappear instantly. She then looked at Sirius, smiling sadly at her father before looking at Nymph, and finally at Remus.

'Are you happy?' Arabella asked. 'All of you, are you happy?'

Sirius shrugged. 'Could be happier. I wished I had more time with you, and with Harry. I feel useless sometimes when I watch over you, knowing that I can't do anything, but I've seen the way you grew up and the way you fight and go on, and… I couldn't be more proud to have you as my daughter.'

Arabella then looked at Remus and Nymph, and whispered: 'Teddy?'

Nymphadora and Remus's face saddened.

'I am sorry that I will never know him,' said Remus. 'But he will know why we died and I hope he will understand. We were trying to make a world in which he could live a happier life, even if it happened without us.'

Arabella then looked at Kassandra, who began to say, 'I know you hate me –'

'I don't hate you,' said Arabella quickly, though not very reassuringly. 'I just hate the lies.'

Kassandra nodded. 'Lies are a family tradition,' she said with a frown. 'I hate them too.' She sighed deeply. 'I did what any other person would have done in my situation. I'm not proud of what I did, but I'm not going to take it back.'

Arabella accepted this. She accepted this a long time ago, but she was stupid and angry at her mother back then.

Then there was a chilly breeze coming from the forest itself. Arabella shook against it, shivering as she noticed how much time she spent talking to ghosts.

'You are going to be fine,' said Remus firmly. 'You are going to be fine. I know it. You are brave and strong and you can get through this. I believe in you.'

'Me too,' agreed Nymphadora.

Arabella nodded, gulping as she looked at each of them individually once last time.

'I miss you all.'

'We know,' said Sirius. 'We all miss you too.'

'And you'll stay with me? I won't be able to see you, but –'

'We're always with you,' said Remus.

'Until the very end,' said Nymphadora.

Arabella looked at Kassandra.

'I'm sorry.'

'I am sorry as well,' said Kassandra. 'But you turned out to have the best in all of us and you turned out better than all of us in the end. I am happy that you are whole and alive. You have exceeded all our expectations… You are anything but ordinary… Just keep going on… I am so… I am so proud of you.'

Kassandra was smiling with tears in her eyes, as did Sirius. Remus and Nymphadora looked at her with smiles on their faces as Arabella, taking her time, drew her hand back and threw the stone as far as she could. She could never go back and see it again. It wasn't going to be healthy for her, and she was already messed up as it was.

Now, all Arabella had to do was fixed her stupid little broken heart.

**Thank you all so much! Keep an eye out for the next book! **


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